Sinner breezes past Altmaier, Zverev defies toe trouble to beat Royer

World number two Jannik Sinner launched his Shanghai Masters title defence Saturday by breezing past Germany's Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-3 while Alexander Zverev advanced despite toe trouble.

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Sinner, fresh from winning the China Open, broke early in both sets to take control and ease himself comfortably into the third round.

The 49th-ranked Altmaier's best chance came in the eighth game of the first set, but he failed to convert a breakpoint twice, allowing the Italian to hold with an ace.

The second set provided even less opportunity to seriously bother the 24-year-old Wimbledon champion, but afterwards Sinner said it had been more difficult than it looked.

"First match is never easy, especially when you don't have a lot of time to adjust," he said.

Sinner's path to retaining the title has been made easier by the withdrawal of great rival Carlos Alcaraz, who dropped out last minute to rest.