SHANGHAI — Nikoloz Basilashvili won his sixth straight match Tuesday, beating Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Shanghai Masters.
Basilashvili, who won the China Open last week and has moved up to a career-high ranking of No. 23, never faced a break point on his serve. The Georgian earned his first victory at the tournament after qualifying in 2015 and 2017.
On Sunday, Basilashvili upset fourth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in the final in Beijing. Earlier this year, he became the first Georgian man to win an ATP title when he won in Hamburg — playing as a qualifier.
"It was a very good week for me in Beijing," Basilashvili said. "Since Hamburg I got a lot of confidence and that helped me in Beijing."
Basilashvili will next play fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev in the second round.
"It's very important I won today after Beijing because it gives me a lot of confidence for a big match that I have," Basilashvili said. "Sascha is a very good player and I think it's going to be a very difficult match for me, but very interesting.
"I am feeling very fresh and have a lot of energy so I'll have no excuses."
Daniil Medvedev, who upset Kei Nishikori to win the Japan Open on Sunday, struggled but beat Chinese wild-card entry Zhang Ze 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the first round.
Medvedev has won all three finals he has appeared in this year and did so by beating the home
Earlier, French qualifier Benoit Paire upset 15th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-4.
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Sandra Harwitt, The Associated Press