From established names to fast-rising stars of the future, there's much to excite the fans who've been eagerly awaiting the 13th edition of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
US Open 2014 champion Marin Cilic, former world No.4 Kei Nishikori and popular veteran Gael Monfils are among those who'll take to Qi Zhong Tennis Centre court when main draw action begins on Wednesday.
Home favourites Shang ("Jerry") Juncheng and Wu Yibing will also bring much fanfare as play at Asia's only ATP Masters 1000 tournament begins.
At age 35, Cilic is aiming to continue the momentum he established in the recent Hangzhou Open; ranked world No.777, the Croatian, one of the nicest players on the tour, became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour history when he defeated Zhang Zhizhen in the final to claim the 21st title of his career.
Cilic, who was sidelined for several months this season due to a knee injury, faces an opponent in a far different stage of his career when he takes on 22-year-old Frenchman, Arthur Cazaux. It will be the first meeting between the pair, ranked No.212 and No.82 respectively.
The 34-year-old Nishikori brings similar experience into a maiden match against Argentina's Mariano Navone. The Japanese player achieved his No.4 rankings peak soon after reaching the US Open 2014 final but now sits at world No.200, having navigated a series of injury challenges.
But there's confidence-boosting progress in recent months for the 34-year-old, a winner over world No.11 Stefanos Tsitsipas in his progress to the final 16 of the Montreal Masters and made the quarterfinals in his hometown Tokyo last week.
Should he win his opening match on Wednesday, Nishikori will set a rematch with the Greek star.
Nishikori - who was a semifinalist in Shanghai in his 2011 and a quarterfinalist in his most recent appearance in 2018 - faces world No.40 Navone in the second night session at Qi Zhong Stadium.
Monfils will also make a popular return in Shanghai, when the 38-year-old Frenchman meets Damir Dzhumur of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It's a third career meeting (and a third on a hard court) between the two players, with Monfils the winner of both previous occasions.
Home fans will also relish the appearance of increasingly accomplished Chinese players. Wildcard entrant Wibing Yu opens the day session on Wednesday, taking on India's Sumit Nagal in the first match.
The night session begins with Shang facing Hong Kong wildcard entrant Coleman Wong.
Having claimed a first tour level title on home soil at the Chengdu Open last month which took him to a career high ranking of 52, the 19-year-old appreciates the momentous opportunity in his second Rolex Shanghai Masters appearance.
"I'll probably be very nervous before I walk on," Shang said. "You know, it's a Masters (tournament) and it's at home. I think I'll face a lot of pressure, but it's going to be exciting for the way that I'm going to deal with it on court.
"I think it will be a huge step for me and for my team as well, how to handle this. (I will) just, again, try to enjoy it as much as I can and to have a lot of fun on the court, that's the most important (thing)."
