ATP
Shanghai Masters Predictions 2026: Can Zverev Add More Glory To Golden Year?
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are the tennis betting favourites for the 2026 Shanghai Masters and William Hill News preview the upcoming tournament, with outright winner predictions and a look at the latest odds.
Alcaraz withdrew and Jannik Sinner retired from the event 12 months ago, resulting in only one of the top six seeds reaching the quarter-finals. Valentin Vacherot was the unlikely winner as a qualifier.
It was Vacherot’s first ATP Tour final and he’d never been beyond the second round at a Masters event. He also registered his first win against a top 10 player when he beat Novak Djokovic in the last four.
Seeded 17th this time around, Vacherot is a long way from being a pre-tournament favourite. It’s a mightily strong field, with Sinner, Arthur Rinderknech, and Brazilian phenom João Fonseca as the only seeded withdrawals.
The Draw
Djokovic and Zverev are on the same side of the draw, which theoretically favours Alcaraz. The Spaniard still has some challenging opponents in his probable path, though, including Vacherot or Tommy Paul in the fourth round and Daniil Medvedev or Taylor Fritz in the quarters.
Zverev will fancy another deep run after a quarter-final loss to Djokovic in Beijing. The German’s most challenging potential quarter-final opponents are Flavio Cobolli or Alex de Minaur – he would be heavily favoured in either matchup.
Sections five and six are wide-open. Arthur Fils, Casper Ruud, Learner Tien, Jiří Lehečka, Alex Michelsen, and Rafael Jódar will all like their chances of reaching the last eight with Félix Auger-Aliassime as the top seed across the two sections. The Canadian has only made one Masters quarter-final this season.
Shanghai Masters Outright Predictions
Alcaraz lost an epic to Ben Shelton at the US Open, but he’s through to the semi-final of the Tokyo Open. Despite Zverev’s two Grand Slam titles in 2026, Alcaraz is still the man to beat in Shanghai.
Djokovic showed he can live with the world’s best by coming from a set down to beat Zverev in Beijing. Medvedev is riding a seven-match winning streak and was a finalist at Indian Wells earlier this year.
The form of Vacherot and Lehečka has been encouraging in Tokyo. Lehečka’s path is more favourable, with Vacherot sitting in the same quarter of the draw as Alcaraz, Paul, Fritz, and Medvedev. There’s got to be some value in backing Lehečka to reach the final – he was a finalist in Miami earlier this year.
Medvedev is the best bet to go all the way if you don’t want to wager on Alcaraz. He’s been impressive of late and we know he can beat Zverev.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
