Medvedev Beats Tsitsipas to Reach Shanghai Masters Quarter-Finals

WASHINGTON: (Sports Desk) – Daniil Medvedev defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets on Wednesday to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, where he will face American Tommy Paul.

The fifth-seeded Russian delivered a composed performance, winning 6-4, 7-5 without facing a single break point against the 28-year-old Greek.

“I felt like I was playing very well today,” Medvedev said after the match. He added that he put considerable pressure on Tsitsipas in the opening set before navigating a closely contested second set with timely returns and improved rhythm.

Medvedev broke Tsitsipas at 5-5 in the second set to move ahead 6-5 before serving out the match. The contest lasted one hour and 24 minutes.

The victory marked Medvedev’s 11th win in 16 tour-level meetings with Tsitsipas, further strengthening his advantage in their head-to-head record. The Russian previously won the Shanghai Masters title in 2019.

His next opponent, Paul, advanced to the last eight after defeating Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

Bergs had stunned second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round, but Paul managed to overcome the challenge despite a late fightback from the Belgian in the second set.

“I know sometimes it’s hard to back up a big win,” Paul said, referring to Bergs’ victory over Alcaraz. He acknowledged that his opponent raised his level in the second set, reducing a 4-0 deficit to within one game, but the American ultimately secured the win.

Jodar Advances as Auger-Aliassime Retires

Spanish prospect Rafael Jodar also secured a quarter-final berth after recovering from a set down to beat Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-2.

The match featured a moment of controversy in the second set when Jodar received a code violation for swearing in Spanish at a ball boy while requesting a towel.

Jodar will next face Norway’s Casper Ruud, who progressed after fourth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime retired with an apparent knee injury while trailing 5-2 in the opening set.

Ruud, ranked 24th in the world, said he noticed his opponent experiencing difficulties during the fourth game.

“It seemed to me that he maybe twisted his knee,” Ruud told reporters, explaining that Auger-Aliassime appeared to stumble after taking an awkward step.

The Norwegian added that his opponent seemed to be in considerable pain from that point onwards.

Auger-Aliassime took a medical timeout after the fifth game and resumed play with white strapping around his left knee, but he was unable to continue the match.