Novak Djokovic could potentially face Hubert Hurkacz, Lorenzo Musetti, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev just to get to the final of the Shanghai Masters.

Fresh from beating Zverev in the quarter-final of the China Open, Djokovic has been handed a nightmare draw at the penultimate AT Masters 1000 event of the season as he will likely have to beat the top three seeds if he is to win the title with Carlos Alcaraz leading the bottom half.

The four-time Shanghai champion – who has a bye into the second round along with the other seeds – finds himself in the fourth bracket and he will face either the big-serving Hurkacz or James Duckworth in the second round while he is projected to meet 24th seed Musetti in the third round.

A run to the fourth round could see him up against seventh seed Tiafoe before a possible encounter with Shelton in the quarter-final and top seed Zverev in the semi-final.

Two-time Grand Slam winner Zverev starts against Wu Yibing or a qualifier before a possible meeting with 27th seed Alexander Blockx while either 16th seed Brandon Nakashima or 19th seed Alexander Bublik could await in the fourth round.

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If the seedings hold, then the German will face sixth seed Flavio Cobolli in the last eight and Djokovic in the last four.

Shelton, meanwhile, starts off against either the fit again Holger Rune or Daniel Altmaier before a possible clash against 30th seed Ugo Humbert with 13th seed Jakub Mensik likely to await in the fourth round and Cobolli or nith seed Alex de Minaur possible quarter-final opponents.

Bottom Half

Second seed Alcaraz, who is still alive at the Japan Open, faces Juan Manuel Cerundolo or a qualifier in the second round with 32nd seed Ignacio Buse likely to await in round three.

Fifteenth seed Tommy Paul, who was upset in the first round in Tokyo, or 17th seed Valentin Vacherot could meet Alcaraz in the fourth round. Vacherot and Alcaraz could face either in the final in Japan, but both have to come through semi-finals on Monday.

Daniil Medvedev, who faces Djokovic in the last four in China, headlines bracket seven and he starts against Martin Landaluce or Jan-Lennard Struff with 28th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry expected to be a third-round opponent.

Medvedev could meet Taylor Fritz, seeded 11th, in the fourth round, but the American will likely have to get past 18th seed Luciano Darderi in the third round.

Felix Auger-Aliassime leads bracket six, but the Canadian has 28th seed Alejandro Tabilo and 14th seed Learner Tien in his path before a possible meeting with eighth seed Arthur Fils in the quarter-final.

Frenchman Fils has a possible third-round clash against 31st seed Alex Michelsen before a likely last-16 encounter against 10th seed Rafael Jodar, although the Spaniard also has to get past Jiri Lehecka.

Projected Shanghai Masters Quarter-Finals

Alexander Zverev (1) v Flavio Cobolli (6)

Ben Shelton (3) v Frances Tiafoe (7)

Arthur Fils (8) v Felix Auger-Aliassime (4)

Daniil Medvedev (5) v Carlos Alcaraz (2)