Matteo Berrettini Faces Kovacevic in Shanghai Masters First Round

Matteo Berrettini is set to face Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The Italian arrives at the ATP 1000 event looking to build momentum after a series of inconsistent results on the Asian hard court swing.

Berrettini's Recent Form Offers Mixed Signals

Berrettini's lead-up to Shanghai has been a story of promising starts followed by abrupt endings. He opened his tournament in Tokyo with a solid comeback victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. That momentum was short-lived. In the next round, he fell to Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in straight sets, 7-6(6), 6-1. This pattern repeated from the US Open, where he dispatched Stan Wawrinka convincingly before a second-round exit against Mariano Navone. These results highlight a player capable of high-level wins but still searching for the consistency needed for a deep Masters run.

What to Expect in the Shanghai Opener

His opponent, American Aleksandar Kovacevic, presents a fresh challenge as the two have never met on tour. Kovacevic's form has been patchy. He scored a notable win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Winston-Salem but has since suffered first-round losses at the US Open and in Chengdu. He also failed to qualify for the main draw in Tokyo. Berrettini's superior ranking and extensive experience at this level give him the statistical edge. The match will be played on outdoor hard courts at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, a venue where Berrettini's powerful serve and forehand could be decisive.

A Look Back at His Japan Open Exit

Just days before heading to China, Berrettini was in action at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships. On Saturday, October 3, he was scheduled for a Round of 16 match against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in Ariake, Japan. That was the same Vallejo who had beaten him in Tokyo. The source listing confirms the matchup but does not provide the result, indicating it was a preview. This back-to-back scheduling against the same opponent shows the tight turnaround on the ATP calendar.

• Berrettini plays Aleksandar Kovacevic in the Shanghai Masters first round on October 7, 2026.
• He is coming off a second-round loss in Tokyo to Adolfo Daniel Vallejo.
• This is the first-ever meeting between Berrettini and Kovacevic.
• The Italian reached the second round of the US Open last month.

His immediate focus is clear. A win in Shanghai would provide a needed confidence boost and ranking points. But Kovacevic, with nothing to lose, will be a dangerous floater. Berrettini's ability to control the tempo with his serve and dictate play from the baseline will likely determine his fate. The match is set for a prime-time broadcast on platforms like Tennis Channel in the USA and Sky Sports in the UK.