Shanghai Rolex Masters 2019: Sunday Tennis Scores, Results and Updated Schedule
October 6, 2019
The main draw of the 2019 Shanghai Masters got under way on Sunday, with Nikoloz Basilashvili the first seeded player to progress into Round 2.
Basilashvili, seeded 15th, had to come from behind to beat Radu Albot 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. There were also wins for Taylor Fritz, Joao Sousa and Hubert Hurkacz.
More big names will take to the court on Monday, including three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray after some impressive performances at the China Open, as well Gael Monfils—seeded ninth—and Marin Cilic.
Shanghai Masters: Round 1 Results
(15) Nikoloz Basilashvili bt. Radu Albot: 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Taylor Fritz bt. Fernando Verdasco : 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 6-4
Joao Sousa bt. Filip Krajinovic: 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Hubert Hurkacz bt. Zhang Zhizhen: 7-6 (5), 6-4
Monday Schedule: Selected Matches
Center Court 1
Frances Tiafoe vs. Denis Shapovalov
(10) Fabio Fognini vs. Sam Querrey
Andy Murray vs. Juan Ignacio Londero
Zhang Ze vs. Pablo Carreno Busta
Show Court 3
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs. Marin Cilic
Vasek Pospisil vs. (14) Diego Schwartzman
(9) Gael Monfils vs. Lorenzo Sonego
Mikhail Kukushkin vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
For the results, draw and schedule in full visit the competition website.
Sunday Recap
Although the high-profile names don't get their quest for success going until later in the week, those who were in attendance at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena on Sunday got their money's worth in terms of quality matches.
Basilashvili was the highest-ranked player on show, and it took him a while to get going up against Albot. The Romanian played the better tennis in the first set, laying down a challenge for his opponent.
However, the Georgian was able to show his class over the course of the next set, as he conceded just one game to level the match. From there, it was always going to be an uphill task for Albot, who was unable to live with the intensity of Basilashvili in the decider.
Fritz and Fernando Verdasco played out the tightest match of the day, with the young American prevailing over his veteran opponent.
After two tiebreaks and a tense final set, which was won by Fritz after notching an early break, the match stretched to almost three hours:
The spectators will be intrigued to see how Murray fares as he continues his recovery from injury. The former world No. 1 recently made it to the quarter-finals of the China Open, where he was beaten by eventual winner Dominic Thiem.
The top seed for the tournament is defending champion Novak Djokovic, with Roger Federer second; they are set to be in action on Tuesday. Djokovic will face the winner of the match between Frances Tiafoe and Denis Shapovalov, with Federer up against either Cilic or Albert Ramos Vinolas.