Shanghai Masters Upset
The Shanghai Masters witnessed an unexpected upset on Monday as Alexander Zverev, seeded third, fell to Arthur Rinderknech, who is ranked 54th, in a closely contested match that ended with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Zverev, the highest-seed remaining in the tournament, began the match strongly, claiming the first set, but subsequently faltered as Rinderknech found his rhythm. Utilizing a break in both the second and third sets, Rinderknech secured his victory after more than two hours of play. Notably, the French player had previously bested Zverev in an intense five-set match during the first round at Wimbledon this year.
Rinderknech’s Progress
Rinderknech, now at the peak of his career with 23 wins already in the ongoing year, has reached the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event for the third time. He is set to challenge Jiri Lehecka next, who advanced after defeating Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4.
De Minaur’s Victory
In the same tournament, seventh-seed Alex De Minaur notched a solid win against Kamil Majchrzak, with a scoreline of 6-1, 7-5, making it his 36th victory on hard courts this year, the most on tour. Despite the humidity, De Minaur broke his opponent’s serve five times, showcasing resilience after initially trailing 4-3 in the second set.
“I came into this week knowing how tough the conditions were going to be,”
he remarked, emphasizing the importance of mental fortitude in challenging matches. Next, De Minaur will clash with Nuno Borges, who defeated Shang Juncheng 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, in a competitive bout.
Auger-Aliassime Advances
Additionally, Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 12th seed, secured his spot in the next round by overcoming Jesper de Jong with a score of 6-4, 7-5. Despite experiencing a slip requiring assistance from a ball kid, Auger-Aliassime demonstrated his prowess by converting three out of four break opportunities. He now has a strong record of 10 wins and just two losses in August, both to Jannik Sinner. Auger-Aliassime’s next opponent will be eighth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, who triumphed over compatriot Luciano Darderi 7-5, 7-6(1).
Noteworthy Developments
In a noteworthy development from the tournament, defending champion Jannik Sinner was forced to retire during his match against Tallon Griekspoor due to cramps while trailing 7-6(3), 5-7, 2-3. It is also worth mentioning that top player Carlos Alcaraz, who won the Japan Open recently, is absent from the Shanghai event due to minor health issues. In a separate match, American Learner Tien achieved a commendable victory against Cameron Norrie, winning 7-6(4), 6-3.
