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The ATP Tour's finest head to China for the eighth ATP Masters 1000 event of 2024 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Among those in action are the No.1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Chinese tournament:

When is the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
The ATP Masters 1000 event will be held from 2-13 October. The hard-court tournament, established in 2009, is played at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center. The tournament director is Michael A. Lueveno.

Who is playing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
Top 10 stars Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz are among those set to compete in Shanghai. Zhang Zhizhen and #NextGenATP Shang Juncheng will lead the home charge.

When is the draw for the Rolex Shanghai Masters?
The Rolex Shanghai Masters draw will be made on Monday, 30 September at 10:30 a.m local time (China Standard Time).

The day after he lost second spot in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Alex Michelsen responded in style at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The #NextGenATP American on Thursday upset fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 on his debut at the ATP 500 in Tokyo. With his one-hour, 48-minute win, Michelsen rose back above Chengdu champion Shang Juncheng into second in the Live Race as he bids for his second straight appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Flying into the second round ✈️

Alex Michelsen comes from a set down to grab one of the biggest wins of his career, d. Tsitsipas 4-6 6-1 6-2.@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/ifWo8m36K8

After coming through qualifying to earn a main-draw spot in Tokyo, Michelsen converted all five break points he earned against Tsitsipas, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The Greek appeared to struggle with the hot and humid conditions in the Japanese capital, and he could not build on his momentum after taking the opening set in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.

It was a second Top 20 win on hard courts for the 20-year-old Michelsen, who also defeated Alex de Minaur in Los Cabos earlier this year. His next opponent in Tokyo will be his fellow qualifier Christopher O’Connell or Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Adrian Mannarino celebrated a landmark 300th win on the ATP Tour on Thursday as he rallied to defeat Lorenzo Sonego 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 and advance to the second round at the China Open.

The No. 44 in the PIF ATP Rankings converted three of his six break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to record victory in one hour and 57 minutes. He extended his Lexus ATP Head2Head against the Italian to 3-2, having won the past three matches against his opponent.

Mannarino became the 12th Frenchman in the Open Era to achieve the milestone. The former No. 17 player, who reached the semi-finals on hard courts at the Dallas Open earlier this year, earned his first tour-level win in October 2008, when he beat Andreas Seppi in Metz. 

The 36-year-old has returned to compete in Beijing for the first time since 2016, when he suffered a second-round loss to Rafael Nadal. He made his debut at the event in 2015, falling in the opening round to Yen-Hsun Lu.

The Frenchman will face either compatriot Gael Monfils or third seed Daniil Medvedev in the next round in Beijing.

Defending champion Ben Shelton made a winning start in his bid to retain his Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships title on Thursday, when he clawed past big-serving American Reilly Opelka 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The 21-year-old American captured his maiden tour-level trophy 12 months ago at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo and improved throughout against Opelka to reach the second round at this year’s event after one hour and 47 minutes.

"I have a lot of love for this tournament and this city," Shelton said on his title defence. "I have a lot of confidence. Being here and knowing the situations I have come through in this exact stadium, in the most important moments."

Big Ben energy in Tokyo ?@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/WHOLi8VIei

After levelling the match, the eighth seed fired 11 winners and did not face a break point in the third set to earn his second consecutive win, having defeated Daniil Medvedev at the Laver Cup in Berlin.

Tokyo is a special place for Ben Shelton. After all, it is the city where last October the big-serving American claimed his first ATP Tour title.

Nearly one year later, the 21-year-old, who reached a career-high World No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings in August, is back where he made his title breakthrough.

“It just makes me excited to play here again,” Shelton said. “A lot of people talk about the pressure of defending something. I think I play my best tennis in the cities where I have great memories.”

Shelton entered the 2023 Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships just a month after achieving his career-best result at the US Open, where he reached the semi-finals. The American entered the Tokyo main draw unseeded and played in the same half of the draw as Top 10 players Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev.

While both Zverev and Ruud fell in the first and second round, respectively, Shelton’s path presented its own challenges. Three separate matches required three sets, and on each of those occasions, the 21-year-old began the match by losing the opening set.

Casper Ruud’s activities span much further than the lines that enclose a tennis court.

Aside from his golfing escapades and deep admiration for his favourite music artist, The Weeknd, the Norwegian places a lot on the importance of empowering children through sport and education.

Ruud assumed the role of Global Ambassador for the W Initiative in 2022 and hopes to reach out to young people by hosting an annual tennis event. The most recent edition took place on 15 September.

W Initiative is a humanitarian foundation, which aims to improve the quality of life for children and young people from diverse backgrounds, achieved through the support of projects in Norway, as well as abroad in countries such as Uganda and Fiji.

For a third consecutive year, the No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings took part in bringing tennis to a wider audience and interacted with the adults of tomorrow. It was a particularly warm occasion this time around as Ruud returned to his native Oslo, where he was once a child with a dream.

Jannik Sinner’s 2024 season reads like a standout resumé. The 23-year-old has won six tour-level titles, including his first two major trophies at the 2024 Australian Open and, most recently, the US Open. In June, he achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Although the Italian has achieved remarkable success in 2024, he still believes there is another gear he can tap into. He hopes to continue that process starting this week at the China Open in Beijing.

“I have to improve a couple of things, which already me and my coach in the US Open swing needed to improve,” Sinner said. “We worked on that and also the physical shape. We tried to improve.”

For a period, a persistent hip injury hampered his form. Despite limitations brought on by the injury, Sinner persevered and lifted a tittle at the Cincinnati Open, with wins over Top 10 opponents Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev.

Sinner was then dominant at the US Open, the season’s final major. The World No. 1 defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals and American No. 1 Taylor Fritz en route to the crown.

The International Tennis Federation has announced the schedule for the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8. The event will take place at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena in Malaga from 19-24 November.

The Davis Cup Final 8 will begin with Spain taking on the Netherlands in a quarter-final at 5 p.m. CET on Tuesday 19 November. The match will be followed by Germany facing 2022 champions Canada at 12 p.m. CET on Wednesday 20 November.

In the top half of the draw, on Thursday 21 November, the United States will face Australia during the day session before defending champions Italy plays Argentina in the evening session.

The semi-finals will begin on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November. The 2024 Davis Cup final is slated for Sunday 24 November.

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner are among the players announced to compete by their respective countries.

There are not many greater feelings in the sport than triumphing at an ATP Tour event held on your home turf, and Kei Nishikori can say he has done it twice.

The Japanese star, who rose to a career-high of World No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has flirted with the possibility of returning to the winner’s circle in Tokyo but has admitted that nerves may be there as he prepares to compete at the ATP 500 event for the first time since 2018.

“It’s a big goal to win again this week,” Nishikori said ahead of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, which gets underway on Wednesday. “I might get tight but I will try to enjoy it.”

Nishikori twice overcame the threat of Canadian Milos Raonic in the final to clinch the 2012 and 2014 titles in Tokyo and, after receiving a wild card this year, the 34-year-old is making his first appearance in the Japanese capital in six years.

“This is something special to win a title [here], this is my home and I have always watched the tournament when I was little,” Nishikori added. “I know that it’s tough this year, not easy to go far, but I will try to go as far as I can.”

#NextGenATP Chinese star Shang Juncheng made history on Tuesday at the Chengdu Open, where he became the first player born in 2005 to win an ATP Tour title.

The 19-year-old’s success on home soil has further cemented his Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF qualification hopes, with the Chinese lefty poised to compete at the 20-and-under event in Jeddah in December.

Shang is up to second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, 759 points ahead of ninth-placed Vilius Gaubas, who is just outside the qualification spots.

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

The World No. 55 Shang impressed on home soil at the ATP 250 event, moving past Kei Nishikori, Roman Safiullin, Alexander Bublik, Yannick Hanfmann and Lorenzo Musetti to become just the second Chinese man to win a tour-level title after Wu Yibing won in Dallas in 2023.

Carlos Alcaraz will hope to back up his Laver Cup heroics this week when he competes at the China Open in Beijing. However, before the serious business commences on court, the No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings took time to explore the Chinese capital with WTA star Coco Gauff.

The Spaniard and American were all smiles when they visited the Forbidden City dressed in traditional clothing on Wednesday.

“It was a great experience being there," Alcaraz said in his pre-tournament press-conference. "I couldn't go around much last year. For me, it's great to see the culture here in China, see different things. Being there [in the Forbidden City] was a great experience for me. I'm really happy to be back here again in Beijing.”

? Dynamic Duo alert in Beijing ? @CocoGauff and @carlosalcaraz went out to explore to Forbidden City today ??@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen | @WTA pic.twitter.com/kzCvMFFyKs

On court, Alcaraz hopes his performances at the Laver Cup can help him in his quest for further glory during the Asian swing. The 21-year-old, who earned victories against Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz to help guide Team Europe to victory against Team World in Berlin, is the second seed at the ATP 500 event in Beijing.

The day before a 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz won his first major title at the 2022 US Open, there was another Spanish teenager who lifted the Flushing Meadows junior trophy in the shadows of Arthur Ashe Stadium. That was Martin Landaluce.

While Alcaraz would go on to triumph in the biggest tennis-only stadium in the world and assure his climb to World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Landaluce, then 16, became junior champion on a much smaller Court 11. Back home in Spain, the whole country was following Landaluce’s result and buzzing about the teenager’s potential.

How fast can Landaluce rise? Can he too reach the top of the game as a teen? Is he the next Spanish great?

With all of the the outside noise, Landaluce sought advice from Alcaraz following the US Open.

“I was asking him, ‘How do you manage to be with one million [followers], or all of your country above you, watching you, saying, 'You have to be this, or you have to be this number’.' It’s very difficult,” Landaluce told ATPTour.com.

Daniil Medvedev has touched down in Beijing, yearning to go one better than he did in 2023 and lift the trophy, but has acknowledged the difficulty of the task that lies ahead at the China Open.

After coming unstuck by Jannik Sinner in last year’s final, Medvedev will have his work cut out with the defending champion and World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Carlos Alcaraz back to headline the stacked field in the Chinese capital.

“Whatever tournament I play, I want to win,” Medvedev said ahead of the China Open which starts on Thursday. “It's a strong field in Beijing, like last year, so if I want to win the tournament, you need to play your best from the first to the last match. It's not going to be easy, but that's the goal.

“Regarding the draw, when Sinner, Alcaraz play, you know you're not the top two seed, you know it's going to be tough. In the semi-finals you're going to have to play one of them if they get there. [I will] take it step by step, try to improve my level step by step, and hopefully I can show some good tennis.”

One of Medvedev’s potential semi-final opponents is Alcaraz, his Laver Cup teammate who holds a commanding 5-2 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The Spaniard was able to shake off his shock US Open second-round exit to Botic van de Zandschulp to play a pivotal role in Team Europe’s thrilling comeback over Team World on Sunday.

Hubert Hurkacz earned an important win in his quest to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals on Wednesday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where he clawed past American Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4 to reach the second round in Tokyo.

The Pole arrives at the ATP 500 hard-court event 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, needing strong runs during the Asian swing to boost his faint Nitto ATP Finals hopes.

Competing in Asia for the first time since winning his second ATP Masters 1000 title in Shanghai last year, the 27-year-old recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set against Giron to advance in a tight decider after two hours and eight minutes.

Victory No. 40 of the season ✅@HubertHurkacz kicks off his Tokyo run, fighting past Giron 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4!@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/3SKgAYFIg8

Hurkacz now trails eighth-placed Alex de Minaur by 665 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The Australian, who occupies the final qualification spot, is currently sidelined by injury.

A smile appeared across the face of #NextGenATP Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas in New York, where the 19-year-old recalled the memorable time he has spent with World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.

The Lithuanian has practised with the Spaniard on various occasions in the past year and after time, mustered up the confidence to ask the four-time major winner for advice.

Speaking to ATPTour.com as part of our Next Gen Influences Series, Gaubas discusses his conversations with the former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Alcaraz and opens up on his biggest idols in tennis, including countryman Ricardas Berankis, who reached a career-high No. 50 in 2016.

Which former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion do you identify with?
I like Carlos Alcaraz. I practised this year with him a few times, and seeing him doing so well and getting a chance to practice with him was cool. He is so humble. So that's the way it will be for me

Did you get to have any conversations with him? Where were you when you practised with him?
We practised in Spain at the start of the season. I think it was January and we had a few practice sessions and it was really high intensity, and was really, really fun.

Can Matteo Berrettini become just the second player in 2024 to win four or more ATP Tour titles this week at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships?

The Italian made a impressive start in Tokyo on Wednesday, when he hustled past Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4 under a closed roof to advance to the second round.

Fresh off a statement upset win over Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, the Dutchman constituted a tricky path to navigate, but Berrettini was able to nullify any threat. The Italian, who is No. 45 in the PIF ATP Rankings, struck 22 winners according to Infosys ATP Stats on his way to a hard-fought victory.

Berrettini says Arigatō ?@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/c9jf2KElzN

At the ATP 500 event in Tokyo, the 28-year-old was able to display his most ruthless tennis, extending his 2024 record against lower-ranked players to 15-0 as well as his Lexus ATP Head2Head series to 4-0 over van de Zandschulp.

Hubert Hurkacz’s efforts on court will mean more than ever for the rest of the season.

The No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is giving back to his home country, Poland, which has recently dealt with devastating flooding.

“Starting today and until the end of the season, I will be donating €100 for every ace I hit to support those affected by the devastating floods in Poland,” Hurkacz wrote on social media. “For me, sport is not just a competition, but also a platform to drive impact.”

pic.twitter.com/ZMN13e6nC4

Hurkacz enters the week leading the ATP Tour in aces with 702 in 55 matches according to Infosys ATP Stats. That is nearly 13 aces per match.

Nobody loves their backhand more than Daniil Medvedev.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers groundstroke analysis from the 2024 season identifies Medvedev as the only player in the Top 20 who hits more backhands than forehands. The data set is from ATP matches on Hawk-Eye courts. Medvedev is the king of the “backhand cage” strategy, where he locks opponents into a sharp-angle backhand ad-court exchange, daring them to take on more risk by attempting to escape his clutches down the line.

It’s a damned if you do, and damned if you don’t predicament for Medvedev’s opponents. They have little chance of outlasting him backhand to backhand, while at the same time hitting down the line to escape the backhand lockdown pattern also comes with elevated risk.

The six players in the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings who hit the highest percentage of backhands are:

1) Daniil Medvedev 53.1%
2) Alex de Minaur 49.4%
3) Taylor Fritz 49%
4) Sebastian Korda 48.9%
5) Novak Djokovic 48.9%
6) Frances Tiafoe 48.2%

#NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title on home soil at the Chengdu Open.

The 19-year-old also became the first player born in 2005 or later to triumph on the ATP Tour. Entering the week, he had not made a tour-level championship match.

ATPTour.com caught up with Shang to discuss his maiden moment, an important mindset change, his lucky charms and more.

What does it mean to win your first ATP Tour title?
It's been a tough week, tough matches, tough opponents, and I think it's special to overcome that, and I feel very grateful to play in [front of] my my home crowd, and they were amazing this week. All the energies were great. My team, they helped me so much. My family that's supporting me all the way throughout the week. Just super, super happy.

This is a historic moment not only winning your first title, but making more history for Chinese tennis. How much more special does that make this and what should people know about your friendship with the rest of the Chinese stars?
It's always special to play at home, not mentioning to win a title. I've never thought that I would do it this early in my career, but I'm grateful for this one. Just a super special week. I was going match by match, not knowing what will happen in the next one.

Carlos Alcaraz is the third player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held at Inalpi Arena in Turin from 10-17 November.

The Spaniard joins Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev in the field, leaving five singles spots remaining at the prestigious season finale. The 21-year-old has earned his place at the event for the third consecutive year. He did not compete in 2022, the year he claimed ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, due to injury.

Alcaraz doubled his major titles count this season, emerging victorious at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Spaniard became just the sixth man in the Open Era to win the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same year, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz also lifted the fifth ATP Masters 1000 trophy of his career at Indian Wells and earned a silver medal in singles at the Paris Olympics. He owns a 43-9 record for the season.

Last year, Alcaraz made his Nitto ATP Finals debut by reaching the semi-finals. He defeated Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in group play to advance to the last four, where he fell to eventual champion Djokovic.