Carlos Alcaraz had to fight hard on Sunday in order to win for the eleventh time in a row and move on to the Rolex Shanghai Masters fourth round.
With a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over Wu Yibing, a wild card, the World No. 2 displayed glimmers of his most spectacular tennis and earned his 50th career win at the tour level. Alcaraz, who won his fourth championship of the year earlier this week at the China Open, is still unbeaten following his unexpected second-round elimination at the US Open. He has now won 100 matches on hard courts.
“He’s getting back to his level. Although he is recovering from an injury, Wu undoubtedly deserves to be at the top of the game, according to Alcaraz. I have a good feeling that I will see him more frequently if he continues to perform at this caliber. I’m simply really pleased to get through.
It was the first time I was playing against him, so I’m not sure if that surprised me. Impressively, he defeated [Nicolas] Jarry with relative ease, 6-2, 6-2. I had to play with all of my concentration. I’m not used to experiencing emotions like I did on the court. Since he plays with such strength and power, I didn’t feel like I was controlling the game.
During the Asian swing, Chinese men’s tennis has seen a notable upsurge, but Alcaraz is proving to ruin the fun after defeating #NextGenATP standout Shang Juncheng in his Shanghai opener.
He’s DONE IT 🔥@carlosalcaraz takes out Yibing Wu 7-6 6-3 to advance in Shanghai!@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/S3Old8385b
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 6, 2024
Leading 3/1 in the tie-break, Wu appeared to be in a solid position to claim the opening set but Alcaraz held his composure to blast into the lead. The Spaniard was able to replicate another remarkable tie-break comeback. He found himself in a similar situation against Jannik Sinner on Wednesday in the deciding set of the Beijing final.
Wu played some of the tennis that helped him become China’s first ATP Tour winner in Dallas in 2023 for the majority of the opening set. He pushed Alcaraz in the second set even though he lost the tie-break.
The 24-year-old dug deep and made Alcaraz fight for his service games but a tiny lapse in focus in the sixth game gifted the Spaniard an ultimately decisive break. According to Infosys ATP Stats, Alcaraz maintained his momentum and confidently crossed the finish line, finishing with 23 wins.
For a chance to advance to the Shanghai last eight, Alcaraz will compete against either Gael Monfils or Ugo Humbert, the Tokyo finalist.
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