Shanghai Masters Round-Up: De Minaur and Musetti cruise to last 16; teenager Tien sets up Medvedev showdown

The Round of 32 at the Shanghai Masters has concluded, leaving us with the 16 players still in contention at the penultimate Masters 1000 event of the season. Following the exits of several favorites—including Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Jannik Sinner—only three Top-10 players remain in the draw. Two of them secured straight-sets victories today: Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti.

Another player still in the running is the 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev, who overcame a tough battle against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. This marks the second consecutive tournament Medvedev has defeated the Spaniard, effectively eliminating Davidovich Fokina from the race for a spot in the ATP Finals, where he had faint hopes based on the ATP Race rankings.

Another consistent performance from De Minaur, who continues to show great form, advancing to the Round of 16 with a straight-sets victory, this time over Poland's Kamil Majchrzak with a score of 6-1, 7-5. The Australian again proved why he is one of the best players of the season, overcoming the challenge with high-level serving. He won 76% of his service points compared to only 51% for his opponent, while converting 5/11 break points against just 1/2 for the Pole.

"I came into this week knowing how tough the conditions were going to be," said De Minaur after his one-hour, 27-minute victory. "So the mindset ultimately is surviving, finding ways, and getting ready for battles every time you step out on the court. There is no such thing as easy matches, especially in these conditions," stated the World No. 7. His next challenge will be against Portugal's Nuno Borges.

Lorenzo Musetti is the other Top-10 player still in the competition and, with the mass exodus of higher-ranked players, he sees a strong opportunity in the rest of the tournament. The Italian recently lost the final of the Chengdu Open and is still searching for his first title since 2022. This time, he overcame a tight contest against his compatriot Luciano Darderi (No. 29), winning 7-5, 7-6(1). Musetti navigated a match decided by critical points, recovering from a break down in the second set to secure the victory over his fellow Italian.

Despite being a straight-sets win, it took Musetti over two hours in a battle that could have gone either way. This is a crucial week for Musetti, who is 8th in the ATP Race and is close to qualifying for the ATP Finals for the first time in his career. He will face Félix Auger-Aliassime in the Round of 16—Musetti's closest pursuer and the only one who seems to have a real chance of frustrating the Italian's ambitions for a spot in Turin.

The Beijing Open finalist continues his impeccable run of confidence, advancing once again in Shanghai in what is his first appearance at the tournament. This time, he defeated Cameron Norrie (No. 33) with a score of 7-6, 6-3, tallying his 7th win in his last 8 appearances. The World No. 36 continues to show maturity late in the season, particularly in a match where Norrie could only convert 2/10 break opportunities, while the teenager was much more effective, converting 4/6 break points.

The American left-hander faces a massive challenge in his next match against Daniil Medvedev, who just defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Tien has beaten the Russian twice this year and will be looking for an unprecedented third consecutive victory against the former World No. 1, who has looked revitalized in recent weeks.