Former world number one Daniil Medvedev advanced to the Shanghai Masters semi-finals on Friday with a 6-3 1-6 6-3 victory over 15th seed Tommy Paul. The Russian fifth seed delivered 16 aces and 31 winners during the two-hour and eight-minute quarter-final, securing the 70th tour-level semi-final appearance of his career while bolstering his campaign to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.
After dropping the second set, the 30-year-old reset his focus in the decider to capitalise on a drop in the American’s performance, boosting his career head-to-head record against Paul to 5-1. Medvedev, who previously captured the Shanghai title in 2019 and claimed his third trophy of the season in Hangzhou last month, remains the only past champion left in the tournament field.
In the next round, Medvedev will cross paths for the first time with 20-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar, who defeated Norway’s 20th seed Casper Ruud 4-6 6-4 6-3. The victory made Jodar the youngest semi-finalist in the history of the Shanghai tournament. The other semi-final matchup features top seed and two-time Grand Slam champion Alexander Zverev against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“He has a great game,” Medvedev said when discussing Jodar. “He hits very strong, so it is going to be fun to see it in real life, to get the feel. If I am playing well, I am tough to beat and that is what I am going to try to do.”
Jodar’s triumph over Ruud marked his fourth consecutive comeback victory after losing the opening set at the ATP Masters 1000 event, continuing an exceptional main-draw debut. Over the final two sets, the 12th seed broke the former world number two five times to turn the match around. He secured a vital break for 5-4 in the second set before serving it out to love, then broke Ruud three additional times in the final set to complete the win in two hours and 20 minutes.
The victory marks another milestone in a breakthrough season for Jodar, who was ranked 903 in the world just over a year ago. He surged into the top 50 in April after claiming his maiden ATP title in Morocco and reaching the semi-finals in Barcelona, and he is now pushing to secure a spot at the ATP Finals in his first full year on the ATP Tour.
At the Wuhan Open, six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek earned a 6-4 6-1 victory over American world number 31 Ann Li to set up an all-Polish semi-final. Swiatek is pursuing one of the final two remaining berths for the eight-player WTA Finals line-up in Indian Wells next month, reaching her fourth WTA 1000 semi-final of the year and her first in Wuhan.
Li entered the quarter-final following a standout week that included a second-round upset of world number two Aryna Sabalenka and her 100th tour-level victory in the third round. She pushed Swiatek hard in the opening set, but despite committing 21 unforced errors and facing three break points, the top Polish star preserved her early single-break lead to capture the 56-minute first set before taking control in the second. Who stunned world number two Aryna Sabalenka in the second round and recorded the 100th tour-level victory of her career in the third round to reach a maiden WTA 1000 quarter, it had been a banner week for 26-year-old Li.
Swiatek will battle childhood friend Maja Chwalinska for a place in the final. French Open finalist Chwalinska booked her maiden WTA 1000 semi-final spot by outlasting Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-0 3-6 7-5. “For sure it’s great that we have two Polish players in the semi-finals,” Swiatek noted, with Chwalinska adding, “I think it would be great for us and great for Polish tennis as well.”
Earlier in Wuhan, Sonay Kartal secured a 6-2 2-6 6-4 victory against Ukrainian world number six Elina Svitolina, marking the second top-10 victory of her career and guaranteeing her return to the top 100. Kartal became the first British player to reach the semi-finals in Wuhan, having returned to competitive play just three weeks ago following a six-month absence caused by a spinal stress fracture. After eliminating three consecutive seeded opponents, she will now meet 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko for a place in the final.
