Benoit Paire defeated Marco Cecchinato 6–2, 7–5 at the Shanghai Masters, a ATP Masters 1000 event on hard court in the first round on 7 October 2019. As the pre-match favourite with odds of 1.73, Paire delivered a straightforward performance to advance, controlling the opening set decisively before edging a closer second set against Cecchinato, who entered at 2.24. The Frenchman's comfortable victory underscored his status in the draw and set up a second-round meeting with a higher-ranked opponent.