Zhang Zhizhen sealed a hometown breakthrough in style Wednesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The leading Chinese player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings raced to a 6-1, 6-2 triumph against Richard Gasquet to claim his maiden victory at his home ATP Masters 1000 event. The 26-year-old made his main-draw debut four years ago at the previous edition of the Shanghai event (l. to Hurkacz), and he was relieved to break his duck at the next opportunity in front of his home fans.

“I was very nervous before the match because I had never had a success in Shanghai,” said Zhang, who had also not won a qualifying match in five attempts at his home event. “Finally, in 2023, I got a first win, so I’m super happy about it.”

Statement made 🇨🇳

Hometown hero Zhizhen Zhang defeats Richard Gasquet 6-1 6-2 to notch up a maiden victory in Shanghai.#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/g9kDtUFdZY

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 4, 2023

Zhang arrived in Shanghai this year a completely different prospect to his previous campaigns. He rose to a career-high No. 52 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the highest position ever achieved by a Chinese player, in July and became the first player from his country to earn a Top 5 win by downing Casper Ruud at the US Open in late August.

Raised expectations, combined with the hype surrounding a new wave of Chinese stars that also includes Wu Yibing and #NextGenATP Shang Juncheng, could have impacted Zhang on Shanghai’s Stadium Court on Wednesday. Yet he struck 27 winners to Gasquet’s six and did not face a break point in a quickfire 55-minute victory.

“It is more pressure, because more people are following me and more people have eyes on me, but I’m happy like this,” said Zhang. “It’s better than no one seeing you… The fans are super great, as well as my friends and family, so I appreciate them coming [to support me].”

Zhang will now focus on a second-round clash against Tomas Martin Etcheverry. It will be a maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the Chinese and the 28th-seeded Argentine Etcheverry.

Roman Safiullin also enjoyed a straight-sets triumph on Wednesday, when the Chengdu finalist downed three-time Shanghai champion Andy Murray 6-3, 6-2.

Safiullin converted five of eight break points he earned to level his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Murray at 1-1. It was a first Masters 1000 match win on hard courts for the 26-year-old, who reached the third round as a qualifier on the clay of both Madrid and Rome earlier this season. Safiullin will take on Alexander Zverev next in a rematch of the Chengdu final from eight days ago.

American duo Mackenzie McDonald and Marcos Giron were also straight-sets winners at the Qizhong Tennis Center. McDonald improved to 17-8 in opening rounds for the year by beating Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-3, while Giron marked his Shanghai debut with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph against Daniel Elahi Galan.

Jannik Sinner flipped the script in style on Wednesday at the China Open, where he earned victory against Daniil Medvedev for the first time in his seventh attempt to win his third title of the season.

The Italian entered his fifth championship match of the year trailing the 27-year-old 0-6 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Sinner looked unfazed by his previous record against the World No. 3, though, firing his trademark clean groundstrokes with power to outlast Medvedev 7-6(2), 7-6(2).

The 22-year-old was also strong on serve, winning 71 per cent (17/24) of his second-serve points to triumph after two hours at the ATP 500 event.

“Daniil, thanks for letting me win at least one match,” Sinner joked during the trophy ceremony. “We have had some very tough battles, especially this year. Thanks for making me a much better player. I have been training a lot to beat you. My team are working a lot. Thank you very much and it is special to share this moment with you.”

With his 49th tour-level win of the season, Sinner has jumped to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. The 22-year-old is just the second Italian to crack the Top 5, joining Adriano Panatta, who reached a career-high No. 4 in August 1976.

Sinner has also improved his Nitto ATP Finals hopes, consolidating fourth position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The nine-time tour-level champ, who captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto in August, is aiming to qualify for the prestigious year-end event for the first time. He competed on home soil in Turin as an alternate in 2021.

In a high-quality final, Sinner showed belief from the first ball. The Italian was able to penetrate Medvedev’s defence with his attacking game, winning 19 of 29 net approaches. He was also impressive behind his second serve, outmanoeuvring the 27-year-old in the baseline duels. Sinner found his best level in both tie-breaks, locking in off both wings to improve to 9-3 in tour-level finals.

Medvedev was aiming to win his 21st title at as many events. The second seed has won a personal-best five trophies in 2023, highlighted by ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Miami and Rome. He will next head to Shanghai, where he is the second seed.

Did You Know?
Sinner is the third player to win a tour-level title this season by earning wins against the top two seeds. He beat World No. 2 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. Dusan Lajovic (Banja Luka) and Medvedev (Dubai) also achieved the feat.

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek cinched their fifth tour-level title of the season together on Wednesday at the China Open where they moved past second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-7(12), 6-3, 10-5 to ensure they remained first in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

The Croatian-American team recovered from losing an epic first set, in which they failed to convert five set points in the tie-break before falling behind. The top seeds refused to buckle, though, taking their only break point opportunity in the second set to level before advancing through a Match Tie-break, sealing victory after two hours and eight minutes.

Dodig and Krajicek’s win means they stay first in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, 360 points ahead of Koolhof and Skupski, who would have moved to top spot with victory.

Dodig and Krajicek have now won five tour-level trophies in 2023, having also clinched titles at Roland Garros, Monte-Carlo, Rotterdam and The Queen’s Club. Wednesday’s triumph was the pair’s eighth as a team and fourth on hard courts overall. Dodig also won the crown in Beijing in 2019 with Filip Polasek.

Koolhof and Skupski were chasing their third trophy of the year. The Dutch-British team did not drop a set en route to the final.

More than eight years since their previous meeting, Dusan Lajovic and Stan Wawrinka reignited their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry Wednesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. It was Serbia’s Lajovic who rode a fast start to his maiden victory against the Swiss former World No. 3.

Lajovic prevailed 6-4, 7-6(7) on Shanghai’s Stadium Court to complete the set of winning a main-draw match at each of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events. The World No. 54 broke Wawrinka’s serve in the opening game en route to the first set and saved a set point in the second-set tie-break before wrapping a one-hour, 53-minute triumph.

Lajovic, who lifted his second ATP Tour title in April in Banja Luka, struck 16 winners and just seven unforced errors to outlast Wawrinka in a one-handed backhand battle to move to 1-2 in tour-level meetings against the Swiss. The Serbian has now won eight of his past nine matches against Top 50 opponents, and he will have the chance to improve that record further in the second round in Shanghai when he takes on 23rd seed Tallon Griekspoor.

Brandon Nakashima also booked an appointment with a seeded opponent in Shanghai. The American downed Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-1, 7-6(3) and will take on third seed Holger Rune in the second round. The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Nakashima fired 21 winners, including nine aces, to seal his first Masters 1000 match win since March in Miami.

For the first time since 2019, the ATP Tour returns to Shanghai for the Rolex Shanghai Masters, which is now a 12-day event.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will be joined by Beijing finalists Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner (who will play for that title on Wednesday) among the trophy favourites, with 19 of the Top 20 players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in the draw.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch at the season’s penultimate ATP Masters 1000.

1) Top Seed Alcaraz Seeks First Title Since Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz has enjoyed a strong hard-court campaign following his success at the All England Club, but despite a 14-4 record across four events, he is still seeking his first hard-court crown since Indian Wells. After a run to the Beijing semi-finals in his successful debut on Chinese soil, Alcaraz will open against Nuno Borges or Gregoire Barrere in Shanghai.

2) Defending Champion Medvedev Eyes More Chinese Success: Medvedev followed his US Open final run — which included a victory against Alcaraz in the semis — with another trip to the title match in Beijing. The Shanghai second seed won the previous staging of the ATP Masters 1000 without losing a set in 2019, when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev in the last two rounds. Medvedev will meet Cristian Garin or Aleksandar Kovacevic in his opener.

3) Can Sinner Continue Late-Season Surge?: Sinner won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto in August and reached the Beijing final earlier this week. Can he back up his big run in the Chinese capital, which included a dominant semi-final win against Alcaraz? Sinner’s Beijing success will see him compete in Shanghai at a new career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of World No. 4 and as a first-time member of the Top 5. The Italian will face Marcos Giron or Daniel Elahi Galan in his first match.

4) Zverev Aims For Third Straight Deep Run In China: A Shanghai finalist in 2019, Zverev enters the 2023 event on the back of a title in Chengdu and a semi-final showing in Beijing. His recent success has given him a cushion of more than 300 points in seventh place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, with Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz behind him.

5) Tsitsipas, Rune Look To Break Out Of Slumps: Stefanos Tsitsipas has not strung together consecutive singles wins since his run to the Los Cabos title in August, while Holger Rune has not done so since he reached the Wimbledon quarters. Rune snapped a four-match losing streak with a big win against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Beijing opening round last week, only to be turned back by Grigor Dimitrov in the second round.

6) Zhang, Shang Lead Four Chinese Entrants: Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng are joined by fellow home favourites Te Rigele and Bu Yunchaokete in the main draw. World No. 60 Zhang is the lone direct entrant, while his three countymen all received wild cards. Zhang will meet Richard Gasquet in the first round, while the 18-year-old Shang meets Yosuke Watanuki for the right to face Taylor Fritz in the second round. Chinese World No. 100 Wu Yibing, who has not competed since his second-round US Open run, withdrew from Shanghai.

7) Fritz Heads Six American Seeds: The seventh-seeded Fritz is joined by 10th seed Frances Tiafoe, 12th seed Tommy Paul, 19th seed Ben Shelton, 26th seed Sebastian Korda and 29th seed Christopher Eubanks in the Shanghai draw. J.J. Wolf, Mackenzie McDonald, Brandon Nakashima, Giron and Kovacevic round out the American interest.

8) Ruud Among Four Top 10 Debutants: Half of the 32 seeds are making their Shanghai debuts, including four Top 10 players — Alcaraz, Rune, Sinner and Casper Ruud. Norway’s Ruud reached his first hard-court quarter-final of the season last week in Beijing, where his run was ended by Alcaraz.

9) Astana Champ Mannarino Seeks First Shanghai Win: Adrian Mannarino won the Astana title on Tuesday to go along with his Newport trophy from July, making this the Frenchman’s first season with multiple singles crowns. The 34-year-old is set to compete in Shanghai for the sixth time. He is seeking his first win at the event.

10) Dodig/Krajicek, Koolhof/Skupski Lead Doubles Draw: Fresh off their meeting in the Beijing final, the team of Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek and the duo of Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski will again be the top two seeds in Shanghai. Their Wednesday meeting in Beijing will determine who enters Shanghai atop the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Buyunchaokete is one of several Chinese tennis players on the rise. This time last year, the Xinjiang native, who goes by just one name, was No. 342 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He won six ITF World Tennis Tour events in 2022 and has since enjoyed more playing opportunities on the ATP Challenger Tour.

The 21-year-old, who is now World No. 187, is set to make the next big step in his rapid rise: playing his first ATP Tour event at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

“I feel great. It’s really near to my home. My first time playing ATP in China, it feels amazing,” Buyunchaokete said. “I feel really excited and I don’t feel much pressure. I just want to enjoy it here.”

The wild card Buyunchaokete has found success on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, reaching three semi-finals, including a title run in April in Seoul. “That feeling was just so special,” he stated. 

When Buyunchaokete triumphed in Seoul, he became the third Chinese player to win an ATP Challenger Tour title aged 21 and under. Wu Yibing (2017) and Shang Juncheng (2022) both did it aged 17.

Now based out of Alicante, Spain, where he trains at the Ferrero Tennis Academy, ‘Bu’ is relishing the opportunity to be back in China, where the home hope will meet Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening round.

“I’ve known him since I was 14 years old. I saw him win the [2016] Orange Bowl, he beat [Wu Yibing] in the final,” Buyunchaokete said. “After juniors, I saw him in the Top 100 in one or two years. He’s a really good guy, tough guy. I just want to play my best tennis against a Top 50 guy, it’s really tough.”

The lone Top 50 opponent ‘Bu’ has played is Andy Murray, whom he pushed to two tight sets at this year’s Surbiton Challenger. The three-time major champion had kind remarks about ‘Bu’ following their clash.

“He’s a high energy, positive guy. If you look at results from last year, I think he played more than 100 matches last year, which is pretty rare,” Murray said in June. “I think he’s going to be a good player.” 

Boasting a 19-14 season record on the ATP Challenger Tour, Buyunchaokete will now aim for a maiden victory at tour-level on Wednesday. Should he advance, he will meet 26th seed Sebastian Korda in the second round.

Did You Know?
Buyunchaokete is one of four Chinese men in the Rolex Shanghai Masters draw, alongside Zhang Zhizhen, Shang Juncheng, and Te Rigele.

Tuesday semi-final victories for each of the top two seeds at the China Open set up a marquee final in Beijing.

Top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek won their second straight Match Tie-break at the ATP 500, edging fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6, 7-5, 10-6. The Croatian-American duo is seeking its fifth tour-level title of a sensational 2023 season that includes triumphs at Roland Garros and in Monte-Carlo.

Second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski have yet to drop a set this year in Beijing. The reigning Wimbledon champions continued their dominant run in the Chinese capital with a 7-6(3), 6-2 win against Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.

Wednesday’s final will double as a shootout for first place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Dodig and Krajicek currently have a 160-point lead in their bid to finish the season as the ATP Tour’s No. 1 team.

The two teams have met once before this season, with Dodig/Krajicek winning in the Adelaide 2 semi-finals in January.

Throughout the 2023 season, ATP Uncovered asked players to showcase their tennis knowledge by making predictions for the year. As the campaign nears its conclusion, and the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin heats up, we take a look back to see who made the best picks.

There was plenty of love for Andrey Rublev, who had three backers choose him as a first-time ATP Masters 1000 champion — in addition to himself… sort of.

“Hopefully I can win at least one. Someday, some year, some life,” Rublev told the cameras in what seemed more like a wish than a prediction. Either way, it came true when he won Monte-Carlo.

Rafael Nadal was among three players to correctly predict Jannik Sinner’s first ATP Masters 1000 title. The 22-year-old defeated Alex de Minaur to win the Toronto crown in August, finally picking up a trophy at the prestigious level after defeats in the Miami final in both 2021 and 2023.

Among the other topics: dark horse, Top 10 breakthrough, and surface-specific predictions. Carlos Alcaraz’s grass-court sweep at The Queen’s Club and Wimbledon proved a surprise to many — but not Andy Murray — while one player was brave enough to pick Daniil Medvedev to claim his first clay-court title.

Find out whose risky pick was vindicated by “Mr. Octopus” winning the Rome title in the video below.