Sinner beats Altmaier, makes impressive start at Shanghai Masters

(Dan Tri) - Jannik Sinner easily defeated Daniel Altmaier with a score of 6-3, 6-3, opening his journey to defend his Shanghai Masters title, while also nurturing his hope of competing for the world number one position with Carlos Alcaraz.

Jannik Sinner made an impressive start at the Shanghai Masters, a tournament that has been considered a "dangerous land" for recent champions. The Italian easily defeated Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-3 on the evening of October 4, opening his title defense campaign at this ATP Masters 1000 tournament.

Sinner, currently ranked No. 2 in the ATP rankings, is bidding to become the first player to successfully defend his Shanghai title since Novak Djokovic in 2013. He comes into the tournament fresh off his ATP 500 title win in Beijing on October 1. Facing Altmaier at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Gymnasium, Sinner continued his impressive form with a match that lasted 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Jannik Sinner has made an impressive start at the Shanghai Masters (Photo: ATP).

“I knew it was going to be tough today. I didn’t have much time to adapt, but that made it even more special. Every day, every opponent is tough, it’s a big challenge. So I’m happy to have made it through today and hopefully I can improve my level tomorrow,” Sinner said after the match.

This is the first time Sinner has faced Altmaier since his shock defeat to the German at Roland Garros 2023. This time, Sinner saved three of the four break points he saved to advance to the third round, where he will face Tallon Griekspoor. The Italian is 23-2 in China, where he has won three titles (Beijing 2023 and 2025, Shanghai 2024). He will enter the match against Griekspoor with a 6-0 lead in the pair's head-to-head.

With Carlos Alcaraz absent from Shanghai due to injury, Sinner has the chance to keep his hopes of returning to world No. 1 alive for the next two weeks. A win over Griekspoor would see him close the gap to No. 1 Alcaraz in the ATP rankings to 1,290 points, and narrow the gap to 390 points if he successfully defends his title.

“Everything is different here. The humidity is much higher and the physical feeling is much stronger. I tried to rest, but it was difficult after winning the title. You have to balance training and competition. Obviously now the priority is to feel as good as possible physically for the next match,” Sinner said when asked about adapting from Beijing to Shanghai.

Also competing on October 4, Daniil Medvedev made a quick run to the third round. The 16th seed, who had found his form to reach the semi-finals in Beijing, quickly settled in Shanghai to overcome qualifier Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1. Medvedev hit 22 winners and committed just nine unforced errors in his 60-minute victory.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will next face 2019 champion Medvedev, after the Spaniard defeated Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, Learner Tien, who beat Medvedev twice in 2025, including in the semi-finals in Beijing, is also in the same group. The young Vietnamese player came from behind to beat Corentin Moutet 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round to set up a third round meeting with Cameron Norrie.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/sinner-thang-altmaier-khoi-dau-an-tuong-tai-thuong-hai-masters-20251005004459144.htm