Alcaraz, Medvedev, Sinner Advance As Seeds Back On Track in Rainy Shanghai;

After a day of upsets, the seeds got back on track Saturday at the Shanghai Masters. Rain disrupted play on the outer courts, but it was a good day indoors for the top players. Seeds finished 7-1.

Carlos Alcaraz led the way. In his Shanghai debut the 20-year-old toughed out a good match with 29-year-old Gregoire Barrere 6-2, 7-5.

“I had just one practice here in Shanghai and then the match,” Alcaraz told the ATP. “I think he was more used to these conditions. He had more practice, a match in the bag, so it was really difficult to adapt my game in a new city, new conditions, but I think I did pretty well.

“I played really focused, I tried to take lessons from the last match in Beijing and tried to be a better player. I tried to not make the mistakes I did in Beijing and I think today I did pretty well.”

Alcaraz was broken once but broke four times in the match takin the final three games.

Daniil Medvedev opened with a good win over Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-3. The Russian ran off eight straight games at one point from 3-2 down in the first facing break points to 4-0 up in the second en route to his 60th win of the season.

The 4th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas topped Rinky Hijikata of Australia 6-4, 6-2. Twelfth-seeded Tommy Paul routined (27y,59r) Sebastian Ofner in straights 6-3, 6-0. No. 6 Jannik Sinner came from a break down in the first and saved four set points to beat Marcos Giron of the United States 7-6(9-7), 6-2.

“I’m very happy. The first-round matches are never easy,” said Sinner who was down 6-3 in the breaker. “I tried somehow to raise my level. I knew before the match that especially the first set was going to be tough and I started off not in the best possible way. I just tried to stay there, especially mentally. I got lucky when he had set point, so happy about the ending.

“If I see the positive, at the end of the match I played a little bit better so hopefully it gives me confidence for the next round.”

Nicolas Jarry and Matteo Arnaldi were also winners on a wet Saturday and Taylor Fritz closed the session with a tough 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-4 win over Yosuke Watanuki.

With all the rain, the Sunday schedule is packed with 20 matches. From the third round, Medvedev meets Korda, Casper Ruud takes on Christopher Eubanks and Sinner gets Baez.

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