Xinhua/Zhang Long – Photo by Icon Sport

Carlos Alcaraz vs Juncheng Shang: ATP Shanghai – Second round

One of the best players today Carlos Alcaraz will take on the Chinese teenager Juncheng Shang in the second round of the ATP Shanghai.

Carlos Alcaraz Profile

Former world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is currently third in the ATP rankings. The Spaniard is 49-9 for the season and 19-4 on hard surface.

Alcaraz is coming off a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 win over Jannik Sinner in the final in Beijing. That is his fourth title this season after winning the Australian Open, the French Open and the tournament in Indian Wells.

This is his second appearance in Shanghai after last year losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16.

Juncheng Shang Profile

Juncheng Shang has the highest ranking in his career being No. 55 in the world. The Chinese is 40-20 for the season and 25-9 on hard surface.

He is coming off a 6-4, 6-4 win over Coleman Wong in the opening round of the tournament.

Shang’s best result this season was the title in Chengdu.

This is his second appearance in Shanghai after losing in the opening round to Yosuke Watanuki last year.

Head-to-Head Alcaraz leads 1-0

• Alcaraz vs Shang 6-1, 6-1, 1-0 ret. (2024 Australian Open, third round)

Prediction and Conclusion

Carlos Alcaraz is coming off his fourth title this season, and it is safe to say one of the biggest wins of his career. Turning the match around in the final set and the decisive tiebreak against world No. 1 Jannik Sinner is absolutely special, and now Alcaraz’s confidence is even higher than usual. The Spaniard continues his tour in China against the best player from this country. Shang is a big star in his home country, and this game is bringing a lot of attention in Shanghai. Given the circumstances, Alcaraz’s busy week, and Shang’s quality and motivation, we are going with Shang to win at least a set.