World no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz followed Jannik Sinner into the last 16 at the Shanghai Masters. The Spaniard faced world no. 560 Yibing Wu in the third round and earned a solid 7-6, 6-3 victory in an hour and 40 minutes, notching his 50th triumph of the season and extending his winning streak.
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Wu, the former ATP champion, is returning after numerous injuries, defeating two rivals in front of the home fans and challenging the four-time Major champion. The home star stood two points from taking the opening set in the tie break.
The Spaniard stayed composed and stole it in the closing stages before serving well in set number two and sealing the deal with a single break on his tally. Carlos fired 11 aces and faced no issues behind the initial shot, keeping the pressure on the other side.
Wu fought well, attacking and going for his shots against world no. 2. Yibing erased two of three break points, producing a high level versus an in-form rival and hoping for more in the remaining events of the season.
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Carlos Alcaraz defeated Yibing Wu at the Shanghai Masters.
Alcaraz landed 23 winners and 21 unforced errors, missing more from his forehand than against Juncheng Shang.
The Spaniard landed more service winners and created a slight edge from the baseline. Carlos overpowered Yibing in the shortest and mid-range exchanges, working well en route to the milestone victory. Two rivals embraced an incredible opening point, with the Chinese taking it after a volley winner at the net.
He held at 15 with a forehand crosscourt winner, and world no. 2 responded with a hold at 30 in the next one after a service winner. They served well in the upcoming four games, leveling the score at 3-3 before Wu survived a couple of deuces in game seven to remain on the positive side.
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Alcaraz grabbed the eighth game at love and made a push on the return in the next one. Yibing sprayed a forehand error and offered his opponent two break points. The Chinese denied them and closed the game with a service winner, introducing more drama.
Wu survived deuces in the 11th game, and the set went into a tie break after Carlos' service winner in the next one. The lower-ranked player drew an error from world no.
2 in the second point for 2-0. The Spaniard pulled the mini-break back with a forehand winner in the fifth point before world no. 560 landed a backhand crosscourt winner for a 4-3 lead. Alcaraz responded with a smash winner in the eighth point and avoided facing two set points after a backhand down the line winner at 4-5.
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The four-time Major winner grabbed a mini-break with a crafty slice winner and welcomed the rival's mistake, taking the opener after 62 minutes. Carlos provided five fine holds in the second set, holding at 1-1 after deuces with a service winner.
Yibing remained in touch until the sixth game, placing a backhand long at 2-3 and suffering the only break of the match. Alcaraz cemented the break with a hold at 30 in game seven and served for the victory at 5-3. The Spaniard drew the Chinese's mistake, sealing the deal and moving into the last 16 ahead of a rest day on Monday.
