Shanghai Masters Round-Up: Auger-Aliassime downs Musetti as Medvedev survives Tien scare

A new day at the Shanghai Masters saw the final four players advance to the quarterfinals, with the elimination of Lorenzo Musetti by Félix Auger-Aliassime as one of the key points of the day. The Canadian could become a significant problem for the Italian's hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals.

Alex de Minaur successfully handled his responsibilities, defeating Nuno Borges comfortably. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev took revenge for his two previous defeats against Learner Tien in a tight three-set battle.

Arthur Rinderknech delivered another surprise, continuing his notable run of form by defeating World No. 19 Jiří Lehečka 6-3, 7-6(5). The Frenchman was coming off the elimination of 3rd seed Alexander Zverev and has now accumulated 10 wins in his last 12 matches, in addition to reaching the fourth round of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career.

Rinderknech was consistent on serve, landing 79% of his first serves, winning 93% of those points, and adding 9 aces. The Frenchman took the lead with a break in the eighth game of the first set, which was his first opportunity of the match. Rinderknech gave his opponent practically no chances, securing a straightforward victory that keeps him in the competition and guarantees his return to the Top 50 (No. 43 in the live ranking). In the quarterfinals, he will face Félix Auger-Aliassime (12th seed), whom he played at the Cincinnati Open two months ago—a match where an injury forced Rinderknech to retire in the middle of the second set (6-7, 2-4, ret.).

Alex de Minaur had no major trouble overcoming Nuno Borges (No. 51) in another display of the Australian's consistency, securing the victory 7-5, 6-2. De Minaur had a strong serving performance, winning 80% of points on his serve, compared to only 55% for the Portuguese. In a tight first set, the Australian managed the late break and closed it out on his serve 7-5.

Following the emotional boost of the first set, the Australian took absolute control of the match early in the second set, securing two consecutive breaks and surging to a 4-0 lead—a run of six consecutive games in his favor. De Minaur squandered a couple of match points on the return—against good Borges serves—but the Australian ultimately secured the victory 7-5, 6-2.

Félix Auger-Aliassime (No. 13) emerged victorious from a key duel against Lorenzo Musetti (No. 9) with a 6-4, 6-2 scoreline. The Canadian was particularly aggressive, dominating the game with 23 winners compared to only 11 for his opponent.

This was a crucial match considering the fight for the last spots in the ATP Finals. Musetti—currently 8th in the Race and holding the final spot—faces his main threat precisely in Auger-Aliassime, who is still just over 500 points behind. However, a couple more wins in Shanghai would allow him to catch Musetti, putting pressure on the Italian until the very last moment, especially with a couple of remaining tournaments, including the Paris Masters as the probable decider for qualification.

Daniil Medvedev (No. 18) took revenge for two previous defeats against the surprising Learner Tien (No. 36), who, at 19 years old, has been one of the season's newcomers and has already caused several upsets against Top 10 players this season. It was a battle of nearly three hours, where Medvedev took the advantage in the first-set tiebreak, while Tien responded in the second set—also with a tiebreak.

Everything was decided in a tight third set, where things were level until 4-4. That's when the first break opportunity arrived for Medvedev, and the former World No. 1 showed his experience to secure the break and guarantee the 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4 victory, advancing to the quarterfinals where he will face Alex de Minaur.