Andy Schooler returns with his latest tennis betting tips, picking out his best bets for the first round of the 2026 Shanghai Masters.
All odds mentioned were correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
Zhizhen Zhang v Tomas Machac betting tips (Wednesday)
We’ve got two players in something of a funk here – but one is 2.75 and the other 1.35.
For all his talent, Machac is rarely one to trust at a short price.
For a start, he never seems to be fully fit but of more concern here is recent form, with the Czech having lost five of his last six matches. The one win, against Yannick Hanfmann, was a struggle too.
Last week in Beijing, he managed the feat of losing twice – once to Arthur Gea in the final round of qualifying and then to Alex Molcan in the main draw as a lucky loser.
Both were pretty heavy straight-sets defeats and you wonder how confidence will be in front of a partisan crowd here.
Zhang is on a 1-7 run of his own so I can certainly see where the layers are coming from.
However, this is the biggest event of his year, playing on home soil, and he’s sure to get something of a lift from the home support.
Zhang’s best results this season have come on quicker surfaces – he won a Challenger in Brisbane and enjoyed a strong run during the grass-court season.
Sadly, we can’t be sure of conditions in Shanghai. Last year things slowed considerably but some have put that down to the extreme humidity and the weather is due to be cooler and drier this year.
I’d expect it to be pushing back towards the medium-fast that we used to associate this tournament with. If so, Zhang should have a decent chance.
Zhizhen Zhang v Tomas Machac best bet
BEST BET: Zhang to beat Machac @ 2.75 with kwiff
Holger Rune v Daniel Altmaier betting tips (Wednesday)
Altmaier is another player who looks overpriced.
This will be only Rune’s fourth match back after almost a year out through injury and while he did notch two wins in the Davis Cup, including against Grigor Dimitrov, he was crushed on his return to the ATP Tour last week in Tokyo, winning only four games against Kyrian Jacquet.
It may well take several more weeks before Rune has shaken off the rust and one suspects he’s using the closing weeks this season simply to get ready for the 2027 campaign.
Altmaier had problems of his own in Beijing last week, losing to local wild card Jie Cui, but he’s proven he’s a man for a big occasion and has victories over Daniil Medvedev and Ben Shelton this season.
Rune is a former top-10 star and I’m sure the German will be motivated to try to add him to that list.
At 2.7, I think he’s worth chancing.
Holger Rune v Daniel Altmaier best bet
BEST BET: Altmaier to beat Rune @ 2.7 with kwiff
Martin Landaluce v Jan-Lennard Struff betting tips (Thursday)
I do think Landaluce has a big future ahead of him but, in the here and now, he looks worth taking on.
The Spaniard arrives in Shanghai on a 3-10 run and he has beaten only one top-100 player since Roland Garros.
On hard courts, he’s just 8-13 at tour level, four of those victories coming during an impressive run in Miami. Sadly, he’s done little since.
The experienced Struff will doubtless focus on Landaluce’s vulnerabilities.
He’s admittedly struggled to back up his Wimbledon quarter-final run but he did claim a decent win over Thiago Agustin Tirante in Beijing last week before running into Daniil Medvedev.
A bit of speed in the conditions would help his flat-hitting game which, I suspect, would rush his opponent and force some errors.
Martin Landaluce v Jan-Lennard Struff best bet
Andy Schooler’s Shanghai Masters first-round best bets
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