ATP Tour

Alcaraz unveils new mo-tivation in Shanghai, Vacherot begins title defence

Carlos Alcaraz’s exceptional touch at the net, alongside a slick new look, was on full display during his opening match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Saturday night.

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, sporting a freshly trimmed moustache, delivered an aggressive performance to defeat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-3 and reach the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event. Alcaraz repeatedly surged forward with purpose during their 66-minute encounter, showcasing his deft touch to extend his winning streak to seven matches following his successful title defence in Tokyo.

“It’s going to stay for the week,” Alcaraz confirmed when asked about his moustache. “I always wanted to step on court at least once with a moustache. Before Tokyo with the team, we said, ‘If I win the tournament, we all have to do the moustache and play Shanghai with it.’ We’re having fun with it. It came to stay.”

Cerundolo, who stunned Jannik Sinner in five sets in the second round of Roland Garros this year, was seeking to become the first player to defeat both the Italian and Alcaraz in the same season since Andrey Rublev in 2024. However, Alcaraz stuck to his attacking game plan, using Shanghai’s quick court conditions to unsettle his opponent and press forward at every opportunity.

Overall, Alcaraz fired 24 winners and 65 per cent (13/20) of points at the net, according to Infosys ATP Stats. But the Spaniard later revealed that his attacking approach was purely a mid-match adjustment.

“It wasn’t the plan at the beginning,” Alcaraz said when asked about his aggressive game plan. “I tried to be ready and get used to the conditions. The speed of the court is very fast, which I like. Thanks to that, I started not very well, not getting the rhythm. So I tried to do something different.”

Alcaraz missed four-and-a-half months of the 2026 season with a wrist injury before returning at the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Ben Shelton. The 23-year-old then secured a match win at the Laver Cup before building momentum in Asia, where he won the 27th tour-level title of his career in Tokyo.

The Rolex Shanghai Masters is one of just three Masters 1000 events at which Alcaraz has yet to lift the trophy, alongside Canada and Paris. This week, he is bidding to become the first Spanish man to win the title in the tournament’s history.

Making his first appearance in Shanghai since reaching the quarter-finals in 2024, Alcaraz will next face Zizou Bergs. A potentially intriguing fourth-round encounter with reigning champion Valentin Vacherot could also await the Spaniard.

Vacherot, who made history last year by becoming the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion as the World No. 204, began his title defence in 2026 with a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Sebastian Baez on Saturday. The 27-year-old Monegasque set up a second-round showdown with 15th seed Tommy Paul, which will be their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Despite competing at a career-high World No. 14, Vacherot is at No. 32 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and will be eager to make another deep run in Shanghai as he looks to defend the points earned with his breakthrough triumph 12 months ago.

“I knew tonight was not going to be easy at all, to come back to this centre court where so much happened a year ago,” Vacherot, who attempted to serve out the match at 5-3 in the second set, said. “Especially against someone like Sebastian, who competes and puts so many balls in the court. In the second set, I had everything under control, but he fought well. I’m happy with my tie-break.”