Fresh from capturing the Japan Open title, Carlos Alcaraz opened his Shanghai Masters campaign on October 10, 2026, with a 6:3, 6:3 victory over Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The world number three from Spain arrived at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament sporting an unexpected upper-lip mustache, a look matched by members of his coaching staff following a tournament victory wager in Tokyo.
Team Alcaraz Moustache Wager Shapes Shanghai Debut
tennisnet.com reported that Alcaraz walked onto the Shanghai court wearing the jersey of the New York Knicks alongside a distinct mustache. The styling choice stems from a team pact tied to his title run in Tokyo. Alcaraz explained that his coaching staff agreed to grow out upper-lip hair on the condition that he lifted the trophy in Japan. Only his physiotherapist appeared to struggle with growing a matching beard, according to court observations. Following his straight-sets win over Cerundolo, Alcaraz marked the occasion by writing “Moustache Team!” on the courtside television camera lens.
The 23-year-old Spaniard noted that his body is still adapting to heavy match loads following an extended layoff caused by a wrist injury that sidelined him from April until the US Open in August. Reflecting on his physical state after arriving in China, Alcaraz said, “I feel great. My fitness is stable and I am in a great mood. I am training very hard right now, so let’s see what happens.”
Calendar Strains and Open Title Path in China
Despite his winning start, Alcaraz has frequently criticized the crowded autumn tennis calendar, particularly the demanding Asian tour sequence immediately following the US Open. Looking back at his career schedule, he remarked that this phase of the season has historically not been his strongest period. Prior to this year, Alcaraz had never advanced past the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters and missed the tournament entirely due to health reasons last season.
The path toward his first Shanghai title features a reshaped draw following world number one Jannik Sinner’s announcement that he will end his 2026 season early to recover from a knee injury. With Sinner sidelined, Alcaraz enters the third round seeded second behind Alexander Zverev. In the next round, Alcaraz will face either Hamburg champion Ignacio Buse or Zizou Bergs.
Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the third round by defeating Luciano Darderi 6:3, 6:4. The Greek player will next face Taylor Fritz, who secured a 7:5, 6:4 win against Matteo Arnaldi.
Keep reading
:focal(186x57:188x55)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2026/10/10/image-4ff85552-3a86-4ebd-a133-1e91004b931e-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
