The dust has barely settled on the China Open in Beijing and the ATP Tour stars are back out in force for the Shanghai Masters, for which Carlos Alcaraz spearheads the seedings.
Jannik Sinner was crowned champion in Beijing on Tuesday, having defeated Alcaraz in a star-studded semi-final before outlasting US Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling title decider.
Medvedev is the reigning champion in Shanghai, from when the tournament was last held in 2019, and the Russian will be motivated to go one better after suffering that setback against Sinner.
However, with Novak Djokovic missing as he was in Beijing, Alcaraz will believe he can build on his latest effort and he certainly has the draw to exploit.
Carlos Alcaraz to win @ 2/1
Alcaraz was no match for Sinner in last week’s semi-final in Beijing as he succumbed to a 7-6 6-1 defeat.
However, Alcaraz had recorded straight-set wins over Yannick Hanfmann, Lorenzo Musetti and Casper Ruud prior to that, having previously made the semi-final of the US Open.
Some may be keen to take the Spaniard on given he has fallen short at the back end of his last three tournaments, also losing to Djokovic in the final of Cincinnati.
But it is difficult to fault that consistency and Alcaraz, who has won 58 of his 65 matches this season, is here to stay and could dominate at the top table for many years to come.
It is also worth noting that the Spanish sensation has the perfect draw to work with, avoiding fellow three Beijing semi-finalists Sinner, Medvedev and Alexander Zverev until the final.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe look the only dangers to Alcaraz making the title decider.
But Tsitsipas has been in-and-out for a while and was a first-round casualty against Nicolas Jarry last week, Rublev was beaten by Ugo Humbert in the round of 16 and the two Americans have been missing from singles action since the US Open.
Casper Ruud each-way @ 40/1
Sinner, Medvedev and Zverev all feature in the bottom quarter of the draw, meaning only one of those players can build on their efforts in Beijing and reach the semi-final.
That means the third quarter could be the place to target for each-way value with the successful candidate set to play one of that illustrious trio in the final four.
With third seed Holger Rune having struggled for some time on his return from injury, three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ruud may be the man to focus on.
Ruud was brushed aside by Alcaraz in the quarter-final in Beijing, but he impressed in recording wins over Jan-Lennard Struff and Tomas Martín Etcheverry and his draw in Shanghai looks manageable.
The Norwegian, who was runner-up to Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open, meets Yoshihito Nishioka in round two before a potential third-round encounter with Christopher Eubanks.
Ruud should come through both those tests relatively unscathed and Australian ace Alex de Minaur would be his toughest possible fourth-round clash.
Rune or Hubert Hurkacz may be waiting in the quarter-final, but it is hardly the most terrifying of draws given the quality on show, suggesting the 24-year-old Oslo native may be capable of outrunning his odds.
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