Alcaraz through in straight sets in Shanghai Masters

SHANGHAI — A mustached Carlos Alcaraz beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo, 6-3, 6-3, to kick-start his title bid at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday, days after winning the Tokyo Open for his first trophy since returning from injury. The Spanish star, seeded second, put on a dominant show to brush aside the 55th-ranked Argentinian in the second round in just 66 minutes. “Really, really happy with the way I played today. It wasn’t easy,” said the 23-year-old former number one. “Just had two days of preparation... I came from Tokyo, there were totally different conditions,” he added. “Just tried to play the best that I can.” Sporting a fresh moustache, Alcaraz signed a camera “Moustache Team” following his win. Asked by an on-court interviewer about the new look, Alcaraz said: “It’s gonna stay.” “It was just about a bet,” he elaborated later, telling reporters his team agreed to match moustaches in Shanghai if he won in Tokyo. “I wanted to play with a moustache, trying how I look with it,” he said. “So let’s see until when we’re going to wear it, but right now we’re just having fun.” He will play Zizou Bergs in the next round. Earlier, Daniil Medvedev fought back to beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3,...