The quarter-finals of the 2023 Rolex
Shanghai Masters will get underway on Thursday, October 11, at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. Here is our
preview of the day at the ATP 1000 tournament, with
Ben Shelton set to take on
Sebastian Korda in an all-American clash while
Hubert Hurkacz will face Fabian Maroszan.
Firstly, World No. 91 Maroszan will take on sixteenth seed Hurkacz on Stadium Court. The Hungarian player has pulled off several surprise victories at the tournament so far, having moved past Arthur Rinderknech, eleventh seed Alex de Minaur, and Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.
The 24-year-old's successful run was expected to come to an abrupt end against eighth seed Casper Ruud, but Maroszan fought on to clinch the first set on a closely contested tiebreak. He then emerged victorious from a three-set battle to score his second win against a Top 10 player this season and a place in his maiden ATP 1000 quarter-final.
Meanwhile, Hurkacz moved past Thanasi Kokkinakis and Yu Hsiou Hsu in straight sets before defeating home player Zhizhen Zhang in a very close-knit clash that saw two sets go to a tiebreak. This will be the Polish player's first meeting with Maroszan, so it will be interesting to see how their abilities match up.
All-American clash between two rising talents
Following this, Ben Shelton will take on Sebastian Korda in an all-American clash.
Both players have performed well throughout the tournament, with nineteenth seed Shelton overcoming a tight battle with Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16 while twenty-sixth Korda ousted second seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the second round before moving past twentieth seed Francisco Cerundolo.
Both young players have been building momentum throughout this season, with Korda possessing a strong baseline game and being known for his clean hitting, while Shelton has shown his abilitiy to overcome tough situations in matches and is an incredibly powerful server.
This will be the American duo's first match against each other.
