PREVIEW | 2023 ATP SHANGHAI MASTERS - Alcaraz, Medvedev, and Rune among top-ranked players at tournament

ATP
Thursday, 05 October 2023 at 10:10
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The 2023 ATP Rolex Shanghai Masters will take place from October 4-15 at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, with top-ranked tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune set to take to the court.
This will be the first edition of the ATP 1000 tournament since 2019 after COVID-19 restrictions made it difficult to compete in the country in recent years. The field is packed with talent as nine of the Top 10 players prepare to take to the courts.
The one exception to this is Novak Djokovic, who is taking some time off after a busy and successful summer on the North American swing. This means that Alcaraz will continue his mission to overtake the World No. 1 in the ATP Ranking by trying to earn as many points as possible at this event.

Potential for Alcaraz-Fritz and Medvedev-Sinner clashes in Shanghai

At the top of the draw, Alcaraz will face either Nuno Borges or Gregoire Barrere in the opening round. If he progresses through the tournament as expected, he could play against World No. 14 Karen Khachanov in the fourth round. The Spaniard currently leads their head-to-head 3-0. In the quarter-finals, Alcaraz could face either World No. 8 Taylor Fritz or No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, both of which have the potential to make for a thrilling match.
Meanwhile, second seed Medvedev will be aiming to defend his title from four years ago, starting with his first-round match against Cristian Garin or a qualifier. In the second round, he could face World No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has been struggling to stay on form lately. If the Russian makes it to the quarter-finals, he could face sixth seed Jannik Sinner. Medvedev leads his head-to-head with the Italian 6-0.
Third seed Holger Rune will begin his campaign against either Brandon Nakashima or Bernabe Zapata Miralles. The Dane will be hoping for a deep run here after a back injury contributed to a series of early exits and withdrawals over the summer. Most recently, he was defeated in the second round of the ATP China Open in Beijing. He could face World No. 9 Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals.
However, the Norwegian player will have to potentially get past Alex de Minaur first.
Moreover, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas could face Cameron Norrie in the Round of 16 while sixth seed Andrey Rublev could meet Tommy Paul in the fourth round. Both players are also on Alcaraz's side of the draw.

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