Altmaier stuns Holger Rune and Berrettini fires 23 aces as Shanghai Masters 2026 begins

The Rolex Shanghai Masters began on Wednesday with a surprise. Germany's Daniel Altmaier came from a set down to beat Holger Rune 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and 14 minutes. Former world No. 4 Rune is still working his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Elsewhere on day one, Matteo Berrettini served 23 aces in a comeback win, and Chinese wild cards Wu Yibing and Zhou Yi gave the home crowd two wins. The tournament runs until 18 October. Shanghai shares Malaysia's time zone, so fans here can watch at normal hours.

Rune caught by Altmaier

Rune took the first set easily, but Altmaier kept fighting. In the deciding set, the German broke Rune's serve for the first time at 4-4. He then held from 30/30 to serve out the match and won on his first match point. Afterwards, Altmaier said there were points where he "really had to fight".

Rune ruptured his Achilles in October 2025 and needed surgery. Shanghai was only his third tour-level event since coming back. Last month he won two Davis Cup singles matches for Denmark against Bulgaria, including one against Grigor Dimitrov. He then lost in the first round in Tokyo.

Altmaier is ranked No. 67 and is 16-26 for the season. Next he plays third seed Ben Shelton, who reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open last month. They have met once before, earlier this year on clay in Hamburg, and Altmaier won.

Berrettini finds his serve

Berrettini lost the first set to Aleksandar Kovacevic in a tie-break, then won 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4. The Italian did not face a single break point all match. He reached the Shanghai semi-finals in 2019, but he came into this week after second-round losses at the US Open and in Tokyo. He plays American Brandon Nakashima next.

Frenchman Arthur Gea also came from a set down, beating Jaime Faria 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-2. Gea won his first ATP title in Los Cabos in August and next plays fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Miomir Kecmanovic beat Japan's Sho Shimabukuro 6-2, 6-4 to set up a match with Jakub Mensik. Adrian Mannarino went through when Nikoloz Basilashvili retired with Mannarino ahead 3-6, 2-2, and he will face sixth seed Flavio Cobolli.

Home hopes and a Hong Kong debut

Wu Yibing, a silver medallist at the Asian Games, beat lucky loser Michael Zheng 6-3, 7-6(6) and saved both break points he faced. His reward is a match against top seed Alexander Zverev. Zhou Yi, 21, beat qualifier Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) and will play 24th seed Lorenzo Musetti.

Hong Kong's Coleman Wong, who recently won gold at the Asian Games, lost his first main-draw match in Shanghai to Quentin Halys, 6-4, 7-6(5). It was Wong's third match in three days after coming through qualifying. Britain's Arthur Fery beat Marin Cilic 7-6(2), 6-1 on his Shanghai debut and next plays Karen Khachanov.

Djokovic and Alcaraz still to start

Seeded players have first-round byes, so the biggest names have not played yet. Novak Djokovic, who won his seventh Beijing title on Tuesday, will play the winner of Hubert Hurkacz against James Duckworth. That match is on Thursday. Hurkacz won the title here in 2023. Carlos Alcaraz, the second seed, starts against Juan Manuel Cerundolo or a qualifier, and Valentin Vacherot could be waiting in the third round. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is not playing this year.

Key takeaways

• Daniel Altmaier beat Holger Rune 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 and plays third seed Ben Shelton next.
• Matteo Berrettini hit 23 aces and faced no break points in his comeback win over Aleksandar Kovacevic.
• Chinese wild cards Wu Yibing and Zhou Yi both won; Wu plays top seed Alexander Zverev next.
• Djokovic and Alcaraz have byes and start in the second round.

FAQ

When is the Shanghai Masters 2026 final? The tournament runs from 7 to 18 October, so the final is on Sunday, 18 October.

Who does Novak Djokovic play first in Shanghai? He plays the winner of Thursday's first-round match between Hubert Hurkacz and James Duckworth.

What time are Shanghai matches in Malaysia? Shanghai is on the same time as Malaysia (UTC+8). Day sessions start at 12pm and evening matches start from 6pm.

Sources: Rolex Shanghai Masters, ATP Tour, Tennis Majors