Shanghai Masters 2023: Carlos Alcaraz vs Gregoire Barrere preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs Grégoire Barrère

Tournament: Rolex Shanghai Masters 2023

Round: Second Round (Round of 64)

Venue: Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai

Category: ATP 1000

Surface: Hard (Indoor)

Prize money: $8,800,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Carlos Alcaraz vs Gregoire Barrere preview

Carlos Alcaraz hits a backhand at the 2023 China Open.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to get his 2023 Shanghai Masters debut off to a scintillating start when he takes on World No. 73 Grégoire Barrère.

Alcaraz has put together a career-best season in 2023, with a 61-8 win-loss record that included big titles at Wimbledon, Indian Wells and Madrid. The Spaniard, however, has played almost non-stop tennis since winning his second Major title in July.

The resulting cumulative wear and tear has seemingly compromised his last few tournament campaigns. Alcaraz was far from his physical best against Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 US Open semifinals, floating in underpowered serves en route to a four-set loss.

The 20-year-old also sported a taping on his left thigh during both the New York Slam and the recently concluded China Open, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in the last four.

Barrère, meanwhile, has accumulated a 19-21 win-loss record on the ATP tour this year. The highlights of the Frenchman's year came in January, when he beat the fast-rising Arthur Fils in Quimper to win the sixth Challenger title of his career.

For what its worth, the 29-year-old is not a regular fixture on the main circuit. He still gave a good account of himself in his opening-round match in Shanghai this week, beating Portugal's Nuno Borges just for the loss of four games.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Gregoire Barrere head-to-head

The second-round match in Shanghai will be the first-ever career meeting between Alcaraz and Barrere, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Gregoire Barrere odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over/Under)
Carlos Alcaraz
Gregoire Barrere

(Odds will be updated when they are available)

Carlos Alcaraz vs Gregoire Barrere prediction

Gregoire Barrere hits a forehand.

Alcaraz is by far the most aggressive player on the men's tour. The young Spaniard possesses an incredibly dynamic forehand, which he can direct both crosscourt and down the line with relative ease. He also has a steady backhand, which comes in handy to him during long rallies.

The 20-year-old also likes surprising his opponents with his impeccable finesse and drop shots. Coupled with the rest of his game, Alcaraz has become very comfortable at controlling the tempo of the game.

Barrere, for his part, hardly has as many weapons as his younger opponent. The 29-year-old is a neutral baseliner and gets by with his deep, high-margin shots from the baseline. Having said that, he is still capable of hitting through his opponents, just that he can't do it consistently enough.

The World No. 2 is likely to dominate the World No. 73 in their second-round encounter if the latter is not able to impart enough power on his groundstrokes.

Pick: Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets