SHANGHAI. It took him one hour and 24 minutes to beat Daniil Medvedev: Jannik Sinner he beat the Russian in two sets with an eloquent score, 6-1 6-4 and reached the semi-final of the Shanghai Masters 1000, his eleventh of the season – and the tenth of his “1000” career.
Sinner beats a Medvedev who is currently not in perfect physical condition for the fourth time in five matches this year (the overall balance between the two is now 7-7) and achieves victory number 63 of this season.
Instead, it comes out as a surprise Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard surrendered 7-6 7-5 Tomas Machac to the quarterfinals. The 23 year old Czech will therefore be Sinner’s opponent in the semi-final. Machac, number 33 in the ATP rankings, played excellent tennis, putting Alcaraz in serious difficulty: a victory therefore achieved, rather than a misstep by the Spaniard. Sinner is warned.
Thus the “rematch” between the Murcian and the Italian fades away after the final lost by Sinner in Beijing. The champion from Sesto Pusteria seen on the pitch with Medvedev appeared in great form: a practically perfect match, dominated from start to finish. Sinner conceded only nine points to the Russian in the first set, then in the second set there was more of a match, but the Italian directed the match with the break in the fifth game, recovering from 0-40.
“I’m happy to be in the semi-final. Today was an excellent match, Medvedev had a shoulder problem and wasn’t able to shoot his forehand as he would have liked, I hope he recovers soon”, said Sinner at the end of the quarter-final final against Medvedev at the Shanghai Masters. “We prepared the match well and I managed to implement the tactical plan – added Sinner – We’ll see what I can do in the semi-final. Reaching a semi-final in a 1000m is always nice, reaching 10 even though I’m young is a great thing but it’s possible always improve.” “I think about what I have to do on the pitch, what I have to improve, and I hope this makes me a better and solid player,” he concluded.
From Shanghai to Wuhan where Jasmine Paolini takes another step towards qualifying for the WTA Finals. The Tuscan has earned a place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Wuhan, China. In the round of 16 the Tuscan beat Erika Andreeva: 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 11 minutes of play. Paolini will return to the field tomorrow against Zheng Qinwen, n. 7 in the world, who came from behind to beat Leylah Fernandez.