PREVIEW ATP Shanghai Masters Semi-Finals: Novak Djokovic faces qualifier Vacherot; as Medvedev battles inspired Rinderknech

The stage is set for an unexpected Shanghai Masters semifinal round, where Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev emerge as the favorites to secure a spot in the final. They will face two surprises of the tournament: Valentin Vacherot of Monaco and Arthur Rinderknech of France—curiously, two cousins in the semifinals, both making their debut at this stage of a Masters 1000 event.

The early exits of several favorites, along with injuries and constant surprises in the heated Shanghai conditions, led to a semifinal draw no one would have predicted. Djokovic will be the star of the night and is the heavy favorite for the title, but in a tournament marked by surprises, the Serb will have to validate his favoritism on court to reach yet another Shanghai final.

In the first match of the evening, the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic returns to the court, seemingly with a clear path to pursue another title in his career. First, he must overcome the tournament's surprise semifinalist: Monegasque Valentin Vacherot, who came through qualifying and is reaching the semifinals of a Masters 1000 for the first time—in addition to preparing for his Top 100 debut.

"Nole" is in great form at the tournament, although he still hasn't faced a rival inside the Top 40. Along the way, he defeated Marin Cilic, Yannick Hanfmann, Jaume Munar, and Zizou Bergs, in what is his second Masters 1000 semifinal appearance of the year—after reaching the Miami Open final earlier this season. The Serb has overcome the difficult climatic conditions in Shanghai and will face a rival no one would have expected to see in the semifinals.

In any case, it's a huge opportunity for the young Monegasque, currently World No. 204, who will make his Top 100 debut after the tournament. The 26-year-old had only a handful of appearances in Masters 1000 events—three times in Monte-Carlo thanks to wildcards—and this time he had to go through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw. He now has 7 consecutive wins, including over rivals like Alexander Bublik (14th), Tomáš Macháč (20th), and Holger Rune in the quarterfinals.

Vacherot will step onto the court with nothing to lose against the 38-year-old star, while Djokovic sees a golden opportunity appear at this stage of his career to pursue another Masters 1000 final, no less than in Shanghai, where he has already reached five finals—winning the title four times.

The top half of the draw became chaotic after Carlos Alcaraz withdrew a day before the tournament began, leaving the top section without its main favorite. Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, and Alex de Minaur were other favorites, but it was finally a revitalized Daniil Medvedev (6th seed) who returned to the semifinals of a Masters 1000, following several early exits over the past season. The 2019 Shanghai champion defeated the always tricky Alex de Minaur (7th seed) in straight sets and comes off a couple of hard-fought victories against Davidovich Fokina and Learner Tien.

The Russian sees a chance few would have predicted after an irregular season: returning to a Masters 1000 final—and even returning to the Top 10 if he wins the title. The former World No. 1 will face the surprising Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who has found inspiration in the latter part of the season, and, curiously, is the cousin of Vacherot—who plays the first semifinal against Djokovic.

Rinderknech has 11 wins in his last 13 appearances, reaching the Round of 16 at the US Open and the China Open. The 29-year-old Frenchman is having the best moment of his career and will play his first Masters 1000 semifinal. This week he defeated rivals like Zverev (3rd), Lehečka (15th), and Auger-Aliassime (13th) along the way, and has already guaranteed his best ranking, finishing the tournament as World No. 37—his Top 40 debut.

They already have one previous meeting, in which Medvedev took an easy straight-sets victory in the US Open 2022 second round—although both were in very different realities, with Medvedev as the defending champion and World No. 1 and Rinderknech barely in the Top 60.