Milos Raonic has posted his first victory on Chinese soil for the season after a narrow 7-6(5), 7-6(2) triumph over Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Shanghai on Tuesday. The Canadian, currently at No. 13 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, atoned for a disappointing first-up loss in Beijing last week, taking the initiative in the tie-breaks better against the World No. 34.

Bellucci broke Raonic in the opening game of the match and held a mini-break in the opening set tie-break but could not maintain the advantage. Despite his loss in Beijing last week, Raonic had salvaged somewhat of a return to form with his first title of the season – his first in 14 months – in St. Petersburg late last month. He moved through to a showdown with Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut after the one-hour, 39-minute tussle and consigned Bellucci to his 17^th straight defeat to Top 10 opponents.

“I feel like I’m in a good place physically and mentally,” said Raonic. “Now I hope I can play some good tennis. It’s just been in a lot of ways a frustrating season. For most of it, through many important tournaments, not to be able to play at 100 per cent, that sort of has its own downfalls, I guess. I’m trying to make the most of it now for the rest of the year.” 

Belgian David Goffin – No. 17 in the Race to London – made a perfect start on his Shanghai debut, beating Japanese qualifier Go Soeda 6-4, 6-2. Soeda saved a set point on serve at 3-5 but Goffin closed out the opening set on serve 6-4 and powered through to set up a second-round meeting with No. 13 seed John Isner. Goffin saved both break points he faced and won 90 per cent of his first serve points.

Within seconds of the Belgian’s victory, American Jack Sock followed him through and by an identical score-line. Fresh from a run to the quarter-finals in Beijing last week, where he pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets, Sock saw off Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot 6-4, 6-2. The World No. 33 finished with 10 aces to the Pole’s four and made good on five of the eight break points he brought up.

Richard Gasquet set a second-round clash with Vasek Pospisil as he withstood 18 aces to defeat Gilles Muller 7-6(4), 6-2. The 11^th-seeded Frenchman is currently one spot out of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and is looking to rebuild after a surprise first-round exit in Tokyo last week (l. to Bautista Agut).

Gasquet will look to overturn a 1-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Pospisil, who dismissed qualifier Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-4.

Last week’s Tokyo champion Stan Wawrinka will open his Shanghai campaign against Viktor Troicki after the Serb rallied from a set down to beat Pablo Cuevas 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. It will be their first meeting in five years.

In his first match as a Top 10 player, Kevin Anderson defeated Tommy Haas 6-3, 7-5. The South African fired 22 aces and converted two of his 14 break points to set a second-round contest with Fabio Fognini, who beat Joao Sousa 7-6(2), 6-3.