Djokovic “shakes off the rust” and makes it to the third round of the Shanghai Masters

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Novak Djokovic said it took him some time to “get the rust off” as he battled through two tiebreaks to advance to the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

The Serbian defeated American Alex Michelsen in a thrilling two-set match that ended 7-6 (7/3) and 7-6 (11/9).

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz showed why they are the world's best as they moved into the next stage with confident wins in straight sets.

Sinner defeated Japan's Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4, while Alcaraz made short work of China's Shang Juncheng, winning 6-2, 6-2.

The four-time Shanghai champion Djokovic didn't have it that easy against Michelsen, who was ranked 43rd.

As he walked onto the field, he was introduced as the “Greatest of All Time” and received an enthusiastic welcome in the packed stadium.

But Michelsen started the first set strongly, beating Djokovic early and taking a 1-4 lead – to the dismay of the crowd, completely behind the 37-year-old former world number one.

To their delight, the Serb equalized and then found success in the tiebreak, winning the game 7-3.

The opposite happened in the second set, when it was 20-year-old Michelsen's turn to catch up and reach the tiebreak.

Djokovic admitted he was “surprised” by Michelsen.

“It took me a while to get rid of the rust and feel better on the court,” he said.

“I was very happy that I was able to stay calm when it mattered most in both tiebreaks.”

The crowd, already in an uproar after Djokovic spoke Mandarin at the end of the match, went wild when he performed a new trick – a phrase in the Shanghainese vernacular.

World number one Sinner said he was not in a “comfortable” situation as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed tennis authorities' decision to clear him of wrongdoing after he tested positive twice in March Steroid was tested.

His recent winning streak was broken in the China Open final by Alcaraz on Wednesday.

But on Saturday there was no sign of fatigue from either player, as the 23-year-old Sinner seemed completely unimpressed in the first set against 93rd-place Daniel.

Daniel fell behind again in the second set, and although the Italian recovered mid-set to gently test Sinner, he kept his cool and finished the set 6-4.

“I only had one training session yesterday, but I felt very comfortable on the pitch,” he said after the game.

Sinner will face Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Sunday.

“Tomorrow will be hard and very physical because me and Tomas know each other pretty well now,” he said.

Previously, arch-rival Alcaraz also seemed consistently satisfied and came on the defensive in the first game, while teenager Shang was unable to make much progress against the world number two.

Despite their enthusiasm for Shang, the crowd couldn't resist Alcaraz's charms.

At the Spaniard's encouragement, they erupted in loud cheers as he won a particularly exciting rally, securing the point with a tricky reverse shot.

“I only trained once and then went straight into this game. That's why I'm really proud to be able to show this level in the first game,” said 21-year-old Alcaraz after the game.

Alcaraz will next face another Chinese player, wildcard Wu Yibing, who defeated No. 25 seed Nicolas Jarry in the second round.

The tournament lost its second top ten player on Saturday when Andrey Rublev fell to 19-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik, joining Norway's Casper Ruud on the list of notable losses.

The Russian, a finalist at last year's Shanghai Masters, roared in celebration after winning a tiebreak and taking the first set.

But the 65th-ranked Mensik beat Rublev in the first game of the second set and again in the fifth to equalize.

The Czech then came from behind in the third round to beat the world number six for the second time this year with a final score of 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 6-3.