Day 8 of the 2025 Shanghai Rolex Masters: Medvedev Claims First Victory Over Tiafoe, Set to Face De Minaur in Quarterfinals

On October 8, 2025, Beijing time, the eighth day of the Shanghai Rolex Masters unfolded, concluding the fourth round in the top half of the draw and finalizing the men's singles quarterfinal lineup.

Medvedev

In a highlight match closing the night session on the center court, 16th seed Medvedev battled Frances Tiafoe for 2 hours and 52 minutes, eventually securing a hard-fought 7-6(6)/6-7(1)/6-4 win. This marked his first victory over the 19-year-old American in their three encounters and the third time in his career reaching the Masters quarterfinals. After the win, Medvedev wrote on camera: "I don't want to leave best city in the world yet."

In his post-match interview, Medvedev said, "It was a very tough match. I'm glad I overcame cramping, which happened in the second set—I thought I might lose then. After a long stretch, I started feeling better. I'm really happy to have fought through and won. Right now, I'm very pleased."

De Minaur

Medvedev’s quarterfinal opponent will be Australia’s top player and 7th seed De Minaur, who defeated Portugal’s Borges 7-5/6-2 in straight sets, winning their first-ever meeting. De Minaur became the third male player this season, after Alcaraz and Fritz, to surpass 50 wins on tour and reached the Masters quarterfinals for the seventh time in his career. He has shown consistent form during this year’s China swing, previously making the semifinals at the China Open, and is aiming to secure another ATP Finals spot after his debut qualification in 2024.

Speaking about reaching his 50th tour victory this year, De Minaur said, "This reflects an improvement in consistency, which is my proudest achievement. Playing week after week and reaching this milestone is rare. The Asian swing has been very rewarding so far. Although the draw no longer features the very top players, the upcoming matches remain challenging, as only high-level competitors remain."

Lindeknech

World No.54 French player Lindeknech continued his strong form by upsetting world No.3 Zverev and then defeating 15th seed Lehecka 6-3/7-6(5) in the fourth round, reaching his first Masters quarterfinal and moving up to No.43 in the rankings. Notably, Lindeknech is cousins with qualifier dark horse Vacherot, who also advanced to the quarterfinals and became the first Monegasque player in history to reach a tour quarterfinal. The two previously teamed up in doubles at the Monte Carlo Masters and both have now made the last eight in Shanghai. After his win, Lindeknech wrote on camera: "I follow you, Val." (Val referring to Valentin Vacherot).

"Valentin represents Monaco but is French, just like me," Lindeknech said. "He has performed excellently over the past few years, so achieving this result was only a matter of time. I'm glad he played his best tennis this week, and I hope this is just the beginning for him."

Previously in an interview with L’Equipe, Lindeknech mentioned severe air pollution in China’s big cities, but afterward clarified the report was inaccurate: "I called the journalist the next day asking for corrections because I was upset. He said the conditions were tough and led me to say similar things. I did say the weather was humid and hot, and maybe there is some pollution, but it’s like other major cities—Paris, London, New York. I received messages from Chinese people asking how I could say that, but I never said it like that."

Auger-Aliassime

Lindeknech’s quarterfinal opponent will be Canadian star and 12th seed Auger-Aliassime, who defeated 8th seed Musetti 6-4/6-2. Auger-Aliassime has shown steady results on hard courts recently, reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati and the semifinals at the US Open. He married his longtime girlfriend Nina in Morocco two weeks ago, which led him to skip the China Open and Tokyo events. Arriving in Shanghai with his wife, the Canadian has delivered his best performance yet at this Masters event.

"I spent the best two weeks of my life with my wife and family, then came early to Shanghai to train and prepare. Looking back, it was the right decision," he said about their third meeting this season with Lindeknech. "His serve is very strong, and he will be highly motivated to win. It will be a different kind of match, and I will be ready for it."

2025 Shanghai Rolex Masters Draw Update

Photo: Provided by the tournament