The Round of 32 is underway at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, and Sunday's schedule brings five featured matches across a field stacked with top-ranked contenders and a few dangerous opponents looking to cause upsets on the hard courts of Shanghai.

Jiri Lehecka vs. Rafael Jodar - Round of 32

Ranked 12th in the world, Jiri Lehecka enters this Round of 32 clash as the higher-ranked player against No. 23 Rafael Jodar, but the head-to-head record tells a different story. Jodar leads their series 1-0, and that lone prior meeting was far from close: Jodar defeated Lehecka 6-3, 6-3 in the Round 4 of the National Bank Open in Montreal, a dominant straight-sets performance that left little room for debate. That result suggests Jodar is comfortable dictating against Lehecka's game, and the ranking gap of 11 spots does not fully capture the dynamic here. With no odds available to guide expectation, the head-to-head edge gives Jodar a meaningful psychological and tactical advantage heading into this rematch. Lehecka will need to find a different approach than their previous encounter to avoid a similar outcome.

Prediction: Rafael Jodar in two sets.

Learner Tien vs. Casper Ruud - Round of 32

This Round of 32 match is a genuinely fresh matchup: Learner Tien and Casper Ruud have never previously met on tour, leaving no head-to-head record to draw from. The ranking gap is modest but real, with Ruud sitting at No. 14 and Tien at No. 19. Without prior meetings, recent results between them to analyze, or odds to signal market lean, the rankings are the most concrete data point available. Ruud's slight edge in the standings makes him a marginal favorite on paper, but this is a thin data situation and the match could genuinely go either way.

Prediction: Casper Ruud in three sets.

Tommy Paul vs. Valentin Vacherot - Round of 32

Another first-time meeting headlines this Round of 32 slot, with Tommy Paul (No. 28) facing Valentin Vacherot (No. 20). Vacherot holds the ranking advantage by eight spots, which is a notable gap and the primary data point available given that the two have no prior head-to-head history and no odds are listed. Vacherot's higher ranking implies he has earned more consistent results across the 2026 season, and that edge should not be dismissed. Without any historical meetings to contextualize stylistic matchups or past performance between these two, the ranking differential is the clearest signal available.

Prediction: Valentin Vacherot in two sets.

Zizou Bergs vs. Carlos Alcaraz - Round of 32

Carlos Alcaraz, ranked No. 2 in the world, is a heavy favorite on paper against No. 40 Zizou Bergs in this Round of 32 encounter, and their head-to-head record reinforces that expectation. Alcaraz leads their series 1-0, with that victory coming at the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where he dispatched Bergs 6-4, 6-3 in the Round 2 with clear authority. The ranking gap of 38 spots is substantial, and Alcaraz's prior straight-sets win against Bergs shows he has already solved this matchup efficiently. Bergs will need to find something dramatically different to extend Alcaraz or force a third set, but nothing in the available data suggests he has the tools to reverse this trend.

Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz in two sets.

Pablo Carreno-Busta vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime - Round of 32

Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked No. 4 in the world, faces a significant ranking gap against No. 71 Pablo Carreno-Busta in this Round of 32 clash, and the head-to-head record backs the higher-ranked man. Auger-Aliassime leads 1-0 in their series, with his lone prior win coming at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam at the Semifinal stage, a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory that demonstrated his ability to close out tightly contested first sets and then take control. The tiebreak score of 7-2 in the first set suggests Auger-Aliassime handled the pressure moments well. A 67-spot ranking gap further underlines how much the field separates these two players at this stage of the 2026 season.

Prediction: Felix Auger-Aliassime in two sets.