Daniel Altmaier, following a confident US Open campaign where he recorded back-to-back upsets over Hamad Medjedovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas, continued his streak of surprises by defeating Denis Shapovalov in the first round in Tokyo last week. However, he failed to capitalize as the favorite in the second round, losing in straight sets to Aleksandar Vukic in a match he was expected to win.
Nevertheless, his last two outings, the third round at the US Open and the second round in Tokyo, have provided some much-needed form relief for the German. Before these results, he had been on a four-match losing streak on the main tour and had not won consecutive matches since the French Open.
Altmaier will be looking to build on his recent form and open his account at the Shanghai Masters, where he has played only once before. His previous appearance in 2023 ended in a first-round loss to Yoshihito Nishioka. His career win-loss record in the first round of Masters events currently stands at 7-13, including 1-5 in 2025.
Tristan Schoolkate had been on a three-match losing streak but managed to return to winning ways in the qualifying rounds at the Shanghai Masters, defeating James McCabe and Beibit Zhukayev over the past two days. This already marks a successful debut appearance for him at the Shanghai Masters.
The Aussie has achieved several personal milestones so far in 2025, including opening his account in the main draw of Masters events. Over the past nine months, he has made two main-draw appearances at this level, notably reaching the second round on both occasions by defeating Ethan Quinn in Miami and João Sousa in Toronto.
Head-to-head: Tristan Schoolkate leads 1-0. Schoolkate dominated their matchup in Los Cabos a couple of months ago, but his form has since dipped. Meanwhile, Daniel Altmaier has built some momentum in recent matches, setting up a strong opportunity for the German to avenge his previous loss.
