Alcaraz crushes Cerundolo 6-3, 6-3 to extend winning streak at Shanghai Masters

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant return to form at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Saturday 10 October 2026, dispatching Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-3 in the second round in just one hour and six minutes on the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena hard courts. The world No. 1, playing in Shanghai for the first time in 730 days after injury kept him away in 2025, dominated with sharp serving, lightning-quick hands at the net and a notable new short hairstyle that drew its own headlines. The victory extended his current winning streak to seven matches, following his Tokyo Open title the previous week, and set up a third-round meeting as he hunts his first Shanghai Masters crown. Elsewhere in the draw, Russia's Daniil Medvedev progressed in his first match since his US Open disqualification, while home hope Yunchaokete Bu was beaten by Casper Ruud. The men's draw at the Masters 1000 event in China runs 7-18 October and is a key late-season event in the race for year-end No. 1, with Jannik Sinner absent and Alcaraz looking increasingly like the favourite.