Carlos Alcaraz fends off Daniel Evans to enter Shanghai Masters Round of 16

Spain`s Carlos Alcaraz hits a return against Britain`s Daniel Evans in their men`s singles match during the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai. Pic/AFP

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a tricky test from Daniel Evans on Monday at the Shanghai Masters, advancing 7-6(1), 6-4 to boost his ATP Year-End No. 1 chances.

The Spaniard, who is making his debut in Shanghai, handled Evans' court-craft with his own agility and power, prevailing in a series of lung-busting exchanges to improve to 41-1 on the year against players ranked outside the Top 20.

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Alcaraz frustrated Evans with his depth and accuracy in the third-round clash and rallied from a breakdown in the first set to lead. He then committed just two unforced errors in the second set to improve to 4-0 in the pair's ATP Head-to-Head series, ATP Tour reports.

With his Tour-leading 63rd win of the season, the 20-year-old has closed the gap on Novak Djokovic to 500 points in the ATP Live Race To Turin. If Alcaraz reaches the title match he will leapfrog the Serbian into first place.

Alcaraz is seeking his seventh tour-level title of the season this week and third at ATP Masters 1000 level (Indian Wells, Madrid). He will next play 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov following his two-hour, 25-minute win against Evans.

He will next play 18th seed Grigor Dimitrov following his two-hour, 25-minute win against Evans.

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