Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev have intriguing opening matches at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday. Alcaraz kicks off his tournament against China’s own Jerry Shang, while Rublev awaits rising Czech star Jakub Mensik.
(3) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jerry Shang
Alcaraz will be getting right back in action after beating Jannik Sinner in a three-set thriller for the Beijing title when he takes the court in round two of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Saturday. The 21-year-old Spaniard has recovered impressively from an early loss at the U.S. Open, clinching the Laver Cup for Team Europe prior to his impressive exploits at the China Open. Alcaraz is back up to No. 2 in the world, passing Alexander Zverev.
Up first for the No. 3 seed on Saturday is a second meeting with Shang. Their only previous encounter came at the 2024 Australian Open, where Alcaraz was rolling 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 when he got a retirement. This one figures to be competitive, as Shang not only has home-court advantage but is also playing great. The 19-year-old captured his first ATP title in Chengdu less than two weeks ago and has climbed to a career best of No. 51 in the world. Still, with Alcaraz on fire again this will likely be a straight-setter.
Pick: Alcaraz in 2
(6) Andrey Rublev vs. Jakub Mensik
Rublev will be on red alert when he stares down Mensik on the other side of the net. They have faced each other once before and Mensik pulled off a 6-4, 7-6(6) upset during the early stages of this season in Doha. Fast forward many months and Mensik is more likely to prevail in this matchup than he was in February. The 19-year-old Czech has earned 20 of his 23 main-tour match wins in 2024 and has climbed to 65th in the rankings. He opened in Shanghai on Thursday with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 defeat of Pedro Martinez.
It has been somewhat of an all-or-nothing kind of season Rublev. The sixth-ranked Russian won the Madrid Masters and finished runner-up at the Montreal Masters but has also suffered a whole host of early exits. Rublev’s last three events dating back to Cincinnati have been in the middle of those two extremes, so he heads into Shanghai in solid but unspectacular form. With a match already under his belt this week, a great opportunity awaits Mensik on Saturday.
Pick: Mensik in 3
