Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will face 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16 of the Shanghai Masters. The match will be played on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.

Carlos Alcaraz faced his firs acid test of the tournament in the third round and needed to recover from a break down in each set to defeat an inspired Dan Evans 7-6, 6-4. The match lasted close to two and a half hours with both players playing some breathtaking tennis. Alcaraz praised his opponent after the match, calling it ‘one of the toughest matches outside a Grand Slam’ that he has played this year. And we know Alcaraz has played in some belters this year outside the majors, most notably in the Cincinnati final against Novak Djokovic. So, it paints the picture of what a colossal performance Evans served up in that match, completely neutralizing Alcaraz’s power with his wicked backhand slice, but at the same time, finding his own point-ending shots with his forehand. Alcaraz needed to bring his best tennis to avoid the upset.

The Spaniard will take on another one-hander in Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian veteran saw off Russia’s Karen Khachanov with the same score, 7-6, 6-4, in just under two hours. Dimitrov’s win was less demanding, but he had to fend off a couple of break points in the first set and then saved a set point in the tiebreak before he prevailed. Just one break of serve was all he needed in the second set to come out victorious and book a fourth-round showdown against the top seed.

Carlos Alcaraz has won all three previous meetings against Grigor Dimitrov, including a couple this season. One of those was on the Bulgarian’s most favorable surface at Queen’s. Alcaraz’s level has gotten better and better at this year’s Asian swing. The fact that Evans played world-class tennis at times, and still came up short is a testament to how good Alcaraz is operating right now. He should comfortably dispatch Dimitrov here, and at -1.5 sets for him to close this one in straight sets.