The round of sixty-four in Shanghai is officially all over the place, as the weather has created many scheduling problems.
As a result, some players will have completed their third-round matches before players in the second round have even started.
Perhaps that is the one benefit of the two-week-long Masters 1000 events, as they allow some leeway if the weather isn’t playing ball and only the stadium court has a roof like at the Qhizong Tennis Park.
However, overall, there are still nine rounds of 64 matches to be played, and the current forecast suggests they may even spill over into Monday, which isn’t good for players who are unlikely to be scheduled on Stadium Court.
Shanghai Masters 2024 Round of 64 Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | Taro Daniel | 6-1 6-4 |
| Tomas Martin Etcheverry | Botic van de Zandschulp | 7-6(5) 3-6 7-5 |
| Roberto Carballes Baena | Arthur Fils (21) | 7-6(4) 7-6(5) |
| Ben Shelton (14) | Denis Shapovalov (Q) | 6-3 7-5 |
| Stefanos Tstisipas (10) | Kei Nishikori (WC) | 7-6(6) 6-4 |
| Alexander Muller | Felix Auger-Aliassime (18) | 6-3 6-2 |
| Matteo Arnaldi (29) | Zachary Svajda (Q) | 6-7(2) 6-2 6-4 |
| Daniil Medvedev | Thiago Seyboth Wild | 7-5 7-5 |
| Carlos Alcaraz (3) | Jerry Shang | 6-2 6-2 |
| Yibing Wu (WC) | Nicolas Jarry (25) | 6-2 6-1 |
| Gael Monfils | Sebastian Baez (22) | 6-3 4-6 6-4 |
| Ugo Humbert (16) | Arthur Cazaux | 6-3 6-2 |
| Tommy Paul (11) | Fabio Fognini | 6-1 6-3 |
| Alejandro Tabilo (19) | Arthur Rinderknech | 6-3 6-2 |
| Tomas Machac (30) | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 1-6 7-6(3) 6-4 |
| Aleksandar Vukic (Q) | Casper Ruud (8) | 6-4 6-4 |
| Jakub Mensik | Andrey Rublev (6) | 6-7(6) 6-4 6-3 |
| Aleksander Shevchenko | Francisco Cerundolo (27) | 7-6(7) 7-5 |
| Alexie Popyrin (20) | Miomir Kecmanovic | 6-3 6-2 |
| Grigor Dimitrov (9) / Zizou Bergs | Grigor Dimitrov (9) / Zizou Bergs | To be played |
| Frances Tiafoe (13) / Yi Zhou (WC) | Frances Tiafoe (13) / Yi Zhou (WC) | To be played |
| Roman Safiullin / Alexander Bublik (23) | Roman Safiullin / Alexander Bublik (23) | To be played |
| Flavio Cobolli (28) vs Stan Wawrinka (WC) | Flavio Cobolli (28) vs Stan Wawrinka (WC) | To be played |
| Novak Djokovic (4) | Alex Michelsen | 7-6(3) 7-6(9) |
| Taylor Fritz (7) / Terence Atmane (Q) | Taylor Fritz (7) / Terence Atmane (Q) | To be played |
| Yosuke Watanuki (Q) | Brandon Nakashima (32) | 7-6(4) 6-3 |
| Jiri Lehecka (33) | Jaume Munar | 7-6(6) 6-4 |
| Matteo Berrettini / Holger Rune (12) | Matteo Berrettini / Holger Rune (12) | To be played |
| Lorenzo Musetti (15) / David Goffin | Lorenzo Musetti (15) / David Goffin | To be played |
| Karen Khachanov (24) / Marcos Giron | Karen Khachanov (24) / Marcos Giron | To be played |
| Jordan Thompson (26) / Tallon Griekspoor | Jordan Thompson (26) / Tallon Griekspoor | To be played |
| Alexander Zverev (2) | Matteo Bellucci (Q) | 6-4 6-2 |
Sinner Starts Strong
WADA is seeking a one—to two-year ban for Jannik Sinner, but so far, it doesn’t appear to have impacted his level of tennis, at least not much. He notched up his 60th win of the season by defeating Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4 in his opening match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Sinner holds a 60-6 win-loss record and six titles in 2024. He remains undefeated in opening-round matches this year, having reached the quarter-finals in all 13 tournaments he has played. He boasts a remarkable 51-0 record against players ranked outside the Top 20 since losing to No. 66 Dusan Lajovic in Cincinnati last year.
 Sinner will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round, and he could potentially have a rematch against 14th seed Ben Shelton, who eliminated him from the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai last year.
I felt quite comfortable today. I feel physically in good shape, which is very important for me. Of course, I will try to improve for tomorrow’s performance, but today I was serving well, especially in important moments, and was moving well. Sinner on his win.
Alcaraz Sinks Shang
Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his Shanghai campaign against Shang Juncheng with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 victory, collecting his 10th match win in a row.
Alcaraz faced a short turnaround after his Beijing final win. Still, he was full of energy against Shang, mixing up his game with plenty of net forays and excellent court coverage to comfortably dispatch the Chinese player who lifted the title in Chengdu.
Next, Alcaraz will face another Chinese player, Wu Yibing, in the third round, and I would expect a similar scoreline. I was worried about Alcara’z during the latter part of the season after his loss in the Olympics and the US Open, but the Davis Cup and Laver Cup have restored his confidence.
I’m not used to playing against players younger than me. He has been playing good tennis lately, lifting his first ATP [title in Chengdu], so I’m pretty sure he’s going to climb the rankings. I’m just happy to to be able to win these kinds of matches. At the net he told me that it’s a pleasure share the court with you. So these kinds of things that I hear from [younger players], it’s great. Alcaraz on his win.
Djokovic Mitigates Michelsen
Novak Djokovic could win his 100th title this week. He shook off some inevitable rust in his game before seeing off Alex Michelsen 7-6(3), 7-6(9).
Djokovic hasn’t played in Asia since 2019, and since his loss in New York, there hasn’t been much info on how hard he’s been training. The Serb started the match slowly, winning just four points in the first three games as Michelsen surged to a 4-1 lead in their first meeting.
However, Djokovic broke back when Michelsen faltered in the seventh game, ultimately taking the first set in a tie-break.
The second set saw Djokovic lead 4-1, but Michelsen fought back to even the score at 4-all. Djokovic saved set points at 7/8 and 8/9 in the tie-break before sealing the match after one hour and 55 minutes.
It was the first match against Alex and I also hadn’t played in a while, so it took me a little time to get the rust off. He started off terrifically; big serves and an aggressive style of tennis… he’s not afraid to step it up and take it to his opponent. It was a very close encounter and I thought a high level of tennis in both sets. I’m just glad to keep calm when it mattered in the second-set tie-break. Djokovic on his win.
2024 Shanghai Masters Round of 32 Matches
- Jannik Sinner (1) vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry (31)
- Roberto Carballes Baena vs Ben Shelton (14)
- Stefanos Tsitspas (10) vs Alexander Muller
- Matteo Arnaldi (29) vs Daniil Medvedev (5)
- Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs Yibing Wu (WC)
- Gael Monfils vs Ugo Humbert (14)
- Tommy Paul (11) vs Alejandro Tabilo (19(
- Tomas Machac (30) vs Aleksandar Vukic (Q)
- Jakub Mensik vs Alexander Shevchenko
- Alexie Popyrin vs Grigor Dimitrov (9) / Zizou Bergs
- Frances Tiafoe (13) / Yi Zhou (WC) vs Roman Safiullin / Alexander Bublik (23)
- Flavio Cobolli (28) vs Stan Wawrinka (WC) vs Novak Djokovic (4)
- Taylor Fritz (7) / Terence Atmane (Q) vs Yosuke Watanuki (Q)
- Jiri Lehecka (33) vs Matteo Berrettini / Holger Rune (12)Â
- Lorenzo Musetti (15) / David Goffin vs Karen Khachanov (24) / Marcos Giron vsÂ
- Jordan Thompson (26) / Tallon Griekspoor vs Alexander Zverev (2)