SHANGHAI (AP) — Stefanos Tsitsipas’ rivalry with Daniil Medvedev will add another chapter after the Greek player beat Alexandre Muller 6-3, 7-5 at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday.
Tsitsipas, ranked 12th, and the former Russian US Open champion will meet for the 14th time, and for the first time in almost a year. Fifth-ranked Medvedev has a 9-4 lead in the head-to-head series, which has turned into a war of words off the court in the past.
“I consider him someone I respect on the circuit, much more than before,” Tsitsipas said. “We’ve had some heated things on the field in the past, but I think those things resolved themselves over time, and we also had time to talk about those things and have an understanding common reasons why these things happen.
“What’s missing is trying to get a good win under my belt, and that will reward my efforts in trying to improve so far. My goal is to go out there and play the best tennis I can.
Tsitsipas had to wait two days of rain to play his third-round match against Muller, but he looked in complete control until losing his serve at 5-3 in the second set. Unfazed, the Greek came back to love to win the match and renew his six-year rivalry with Medvedev.
16th-ranked Ben Shelton ranked Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-4, firing eight aces and 24 winners to line up for the top seed Jannik sinner in the fourth round.
Seventh-ranked Taylor Fritz also advanced with ease, beating Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki 6-3, 6-4, while Grigor Dimitrov, playing in his 100th Masters tournament, beat Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (5), 6- 3.
Gaël Monfils beat 15th-ranked Ugo Humbert 7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-1 in an all-French clash. Monfils, 38, ranked 46th, is the second oldest player to reach the fourth round in Shanghai, behind Roger Federer (also 38) in 2019.
“It’s never easy to play against Ugo, he’s very aggressive, he plays fast on both wings and he takes up a lot of your time,” said Monfils, who plays in the second row. Carlos Alcaraz following.
“Carlos is in a confident mood (having) recently won a tournament ( China Open ), so it’s going to be difficult, that’s for sure.
Additionally, Tomas Machac, who reached the semifinals in Tokyo, beat Australian Alexander Vukic 6-4, 6-2 and will next face 13th-ranked Tommy Paul in the third round.
Later on Tuesday, four-time champion Novak Djokovic will play his third round match against Flavio Cobolli, aiming to win his 100th title at the tour level. Third-placed Alexander Zverev faces Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in a night match.
Opening of Wuhan
Katerina Siniakova scored a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory over Filipina Alexandra Eala to set up a second-round match against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Second-ranked Sabalenka, who last won the title in 2019, only needs to reach the quarter-finals in Wuhan to regain the top spot in the rankings. Iga Swiatekwho withdrew from the Asian Women’s Swing citing fatigue and personal reasons. Swiatek recently separated with the coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Magda Linette of Poland beat 23rd-ranked Liudmila Samsonova 6-2, 6-2, and Ekaterina Alexandrova beat former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States 6-1, 4-6 , 6-4.
Other winners included Briton Katie Boulter, American Amanda Anisimova, Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova and Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, who competed at the Paris Olympics. Zheng Qinwen, gold medalist following,
After ending a 24-match losing streak at the China Open last week, Zhang Shuai’s change of fortunes turned in Wuhan when she lost to Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6- 4 in the first round.
The top eight seeds, including Sabalenka and China Open Champion Coco Gauff, received a bye in the first round.
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
