Shanghai
Sinners quickly launch title defense in Shanghai
Defending champion Donald Altmaier next faces Grixpur
October 4, 2025
Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images
Jannik Sinner chases his 22nd Tour title at the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters.
By Andy West
The Rolex Shanghai Masters has not been a happy hunting ground for defending champions in recent years, but Jannik Sinner made an impressive start on Saturday at the back-to-back title of the Chinese ATP Masters 1000.
PIF ATP ranked second and relaxed in the Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-3 of Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena to start his 2025 campaign. Sinner bid to become the first player to successfully defend the Shanghai championship since Novak Djokovic in 2013 and got there on Wednesday to cancel the ATP 500 title in Beijing. In the match against Altmaier, he picked up the rocks left by producing one hour and 38 minutes of rock fixation.
The start of the championship✨@Janniksin He kicked out his championship defense with a 6-3 6-3 win over Altmaier.@SH_Rolexmasters | #RolexShanghaimasters pic.twitter.com/mw0b1wfles
– ATP Tour (@atptour) October 4, 2025
Roland Garros has faced Altmaier for the first time since Roland Garros beat the German in 2023, and Roland Garros has converted three of four breakthrough points, with him playing the third round against Tallon Griekspoor. The Italian now has a 23-2 record in China, where he won three titles (Beijing 2023 and 2025, Shanghai 2024) and will lead 6-0 with Griekspoor in the ATP Head2head series against Lexus.
Carlos Alcaraz disappeared in Shanghai due to injuries, and the 24-year-old sinner has a chance to raise hopes of returning to the world’s number one by this two weeks ago. If he beat Griekspoor, he would improve to under 1,290 points in the PIF ATP Live rankings, and he would successfully defend his championship, narrowing the gap to just 390 points.
Daniil Medvedev, another member of ATP No. 1, also booked his third-round seat on Saturday in a stylish way. The 16th seed rediscovered its form to enter the semi-finals in Beijing, quickly settled in Shanghai, overcoming the qualifiers Dalibor Svrcina 6-1, 6-1. Medvedev won 22 winners in a 60-minute victory, making only nine uncompulsory mistakes.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will be the next opponent of 2019 champion Medvedev, defeating Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-4 at Espanyol, while learner Tien defeated Tien twice in 2025, including in the Beijing semi-finals, and also alive in the same part of the draw. #NextGenatp Americans caught up with Corentin Moutet in the second round with 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, and held a meeting with Cameron Norrie.
And more…
