by 
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz showed why they are the world’s best at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday when they moved into the third round with confident wins in straight sets.
Sinner beat Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4, while Alcaraz made short work of China’s Shang Juncheng earlier in the day, winning 6-2, 6-2.
Sinner said he was not in a “comfortable” situation as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed a decision by tennis authorities to clear him of wrongdoing after he tested positive for a steroid twice in March had been tested.
His recent winning streak was broken in the China Open final by Alcaraz on Wednesday.
But on Saturday there was no sign of fatigue from either player, as the 23-year-old Sinner seemed completely unimpressed in the first set against 93rd-place Daniel.
Daniel fell behind again in the second round, and although the Italian recovered midway through the round to gently test Sinner, he kept his cool and finished the set 6-4.
“I only had one training session yesterday, but I felt very comfortable on the pitch,” he said after the game.
“Today’s performance means a lot to me.”
Sinner will face Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Sunday.
“Tomorrow will be hard and very physical because me and Tomas know each other pretty well now,” he said.
– ‘Really proud’ –
Previously, arch-rival Alcaraz also looked comfortable throughout and came on the defensive in the first game.
Teenager Shang became only the second Chinese player to win an ATP Tour singles title at the Chengdu Open last month, but couldn’t go far against the world number two.
Despite their enthusiasm for Shang, the crowd couldn’t resist Alcaraz’s charms.
At the Spaniard’s encouragement, they erupted in loud cheers as he won a particularly exciting rally, securing the point with a tricky reverse shot.
“I’ve been playing really good tennis lately, so I just want to keep going and keep feeling it so well,” Alcaraz, 21, said after the match.
“I only had one training session then went straight into this game, so I’m really proud to be able to show this level in the first game,” he added.
Alcaraz will next face another Chinese player, wildcard Wu Yibing, who defeated No. 25 seed Nicolas Jarry in the second round.
– Rublev loses –
The tournament lost its second top ten player on Saturday when Andrey Rublev fell to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik, joining Norway’s Casper Ruud on the list of notable losses.
The Russian, a finalist at last year’s Shanghai Masters, roared in celebration after winning a tiebreak and taking the first set.
But the 65th-ranked Mensik beat Rublev in the first game of the second set and again in the fifth to equalize.
The Czech then came from behind in the third round to beat the world number six for the second time this year with a final score of 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-3.
reb/ssy
