The quarter-finals of the 2023 Rolex
Shanghai Masters will conclude tomorrow, Friday, October 13. Here is our
preview of the day at the ATP 1000 tournament, with
Grigor Dimitrov set to face
Nicolas Jarry before
Ugo Humbert takes on
Andrey Rublev.
Firstly, eighteenth seed Dimitrov will take on the twenty-second seed Nicolas Jarry. The Bulgarian player achieved his biggest win of the year in the previous round when he downed Carlos Alcaraz following a three-set battle. After losing the first set, Dimitrov fought back to secure the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Jarry ousted Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to set up the clash with Dimitrov. The two players have faced each other twice before, with the Chilean dominating their head-to-head 2-0. However, Dimitrov secured his first win against the top seed with his victory against Alcaraz, meaning he is likely to be full of confidence ahead of this match.
They have both had similar journeys at the tournament so far and have similar styles of play, with big serves, powerful hitting, and good movement, meaning it could be a tight match regardless of the outcome.
Humbert faces tough battle against Rublev
Following this, thirty-second seed Humbert will take to Stadium Court at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena against fifth seed Rublev. The Frenchman has had a successful run at the tournament so far, emerging victorious from a three-set thriller against fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas before downing J. J. Wolf in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.
However, he is likely to face a tough challenge in his match against Rublev. The Russian has been playing exceptionally well throughout the tournament and is yet to drop a set. His most dominant display came against Adrian Mannarino in the second round, whom he defeated 6-3, 6-0, before ousting twelfth seed Tommy Paul 7-5, 7-5 to set up the clash with Humbert.
Their head-to-head is currently level at 2-2, with Humbert having won their most recent match at the China Open just last week. This was a tight encounter and the World No. 34 had to fight back from a set down before winning the decider on a tiebreak.
He will need to be careful against Rublev's powerful serves, but Humbert is a good mover which could help him in this clash.
