Alcaraz: Moustache is here to stay after Tokyo triumph
Video credit: SNTV
The world No. 3 dispatched Cerundolo in 67 minutes to progress to the third round and extend his winning streak to seven matches following his triumph at the Japan Open.Alcaraz explained that his decision to rock a moustache was a result of his victory in Tokyo, his first title since February.
“It’s going to stay for a week,” Alcaraz said. “You always want to step on the court at least once with a moustache.
“Before Tokyo we said, ‘If I win the tournament we all have to get a moustache and play Shanghai with it.’
“It’s going to be fun, we’re laughing around and we’re having fun with it. It’s come to stay.”
On his win over Cerundolo, who beat Jannik Sinner in five sets in the second round of Roland-Garros earlier this year, Alcaraz added: “The first round of any tournament is never easy.
‘They’re pushing us too much’ – Alcaraz partly attributes Sinner injury to relentless schedule
Video credit: SNTV
“It’s even tougher when you don’t have much time to prepare yourself because of Tokyo.
“The conditions, the speed of the ball, the speed of the court and the humidity were totally different here but I think these types of matches help me a lot to continue going forward to the levels I want to reach.
“I’m happy and hopefully the next round is going to be even better.”
Daniil Medvedev won his first match since being disqualified at the China Open.
The Russian beat Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6 6-4 6-3 in his first match since the incident in Beijing, where he hit a rebounding ball into the crowd that struck a spectator in the eye during his semi-final against Novak Djokovic.
Medvedev apologised after the incident, insisting it was an accident.
Felix Auger-Aliassime saw off Camilo Ugo Carabelli 4-6 7-6(1) 7-5 in a near three-hour affair, while Stefanos Tsitsipas dispatched 18th-seeded Luciano Darderi 6-3 6-4.
Last year’s Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot opened his title defence with a 6-4 7-6(5) win over Sebastian Baez.
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