Day 5 of the 2025 Shanghai Rolex Masters: Djokovic battles through to advance, Sinner withdraws due to cramp, unable to defend his title

On October 5th, 2025, the fifth day of the Shanghai Rolex Masters unfolded, deciding the final 16 places in the men’s singles bottom half.

Novak Djokovic

The Serbian ace Djokovic, featured in the night session, overcame the disadvantage of dropping the first set, battling for 2 hours and 42 minutes to come back and defeat qualifier Hanfmann 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, maintaining a perfect record against him and moving into the men’s singles round of 16.

In the post-match interview, Djokovic reflected on the match: “It was a fantastic contest. My opponent (Hanfmann) played impressively and came very close to winning. He controlled the match for the first one and a half sets, so I kept persevering and looking for opportunities. It wasn’t until the end of the second set that I felt my serve was improving.”

He also expressed gratitude towards the fans once again: “I’m very proud to have overcome such a tough challenge. I truly appreciate the support from the Chinese fans; they are incredible. Their encouragement was a major reason I chose to compete here this year. These past two matches have fully proven that—I feel deeply loved and welcomed here, and I’m very thankful to experience an atmosphere like tonight’s.”

Munar

Djokovic’s opponent in the fourth round will be Spain’s Munar, who fought hard to defeat qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, making his first appearance in the last 16 at the Shanghai Rolex Masters and matching his best Masters performance to date.

Sinner

Grekosp

Second seed Sinner, playing the final match on the center court, retired due to cramping at 7-6(3), 5-7, 2-3 against 27th seed Grekosp, ending his title defense prematurely. Grekosp will face qualifier Varchelo from Monaco in the fourth round, who advanced when 20th seed and last year’s semifinalist Mahach withdrew while trailing 0-6, 1-3, reaching the Masters last 16 for the first time in his career.

Rune

In two daytime matches on the center court, 10th seed Rune defeated 21st seed Humbert 6-4, 6-4, extending his unbeaten streak against Humbert to five matches and advancing to the last 16 for the second consecutive year. Today’s high temperature in Shanghai reached 34°C, and Rune commented after the match: “We’re both from Europe, so this weather is unusual for us, but I kept reminding myself that the conditions are the same for both players. I think I played aggressively today and managed to move my opponent well, which is harder in this heat. It was a sweaty day, but I’m happy to have won.”

Pericard (right) defeats Fritz (left)

Rune’s fourth-round opponent will be 32nd seed French power hitter Pericard, who defeated American top player and 5th seed Fritz 6-4, 7-5, avenging his loss at Wimbledon and reaching the Masters last 16 for the first time. After the match, Pericard said: “Before this, my record against top 10 players was very poor: 0 wins and 6 losses, some of which were close matches. At Wimbledon, I had chances against Musetti and Fritz, so I realized I need to improve a lot. Today I performed better than at Wimbledon in some areas, and it paid off. It was a tough match physically and mentally, but I’m very pleased with my performance.”

Berghes

Diallo

Belgian player Berghes defeated 19th seed Cerundolo in straight sets 7-6(1), 6-3, reaching the Masters last 16 for the first time. His fourth-round opponent will be 31st seed Diallo, who advanced after his opponent Goffin retired while trailing 0-3 in the first set.

2025 Shanghai Rolex Masters Draw Update

(Text and editing by Wang Fei; photos provided by the tournament)