Day 9 of the Shanghai Rolex Masters: Djokovic reaches the Masters semifinals for the 80th time, set to face Vacherot

On October 9, 2025, Beijing time, the ninth day of the Shanghai Rolex Masters began, with the men's singles quarterfinals in the bottom half starting first. Djokovic and Vacherot both won their matches to advance to the semifinals.

Novak Djokovic

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic battled through two sets in the night session, ultimately defeating Belgian player Beljhes 6-3, 7-5. This marks the 80th time in his career he has reached the ATP 1000 Masters semifinals and the 10th time at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. He also became the oldest semifinalist in Masters history during the Open Era.

After the match, Djokovic wrote the Chinese character “福” (fortune) on camera. In the interview, he said, “I love competing in China. The support here makes me feel refreshed on court. When I’m not feeling my best during a match, the crowd helps lift me up. This happens in every match. In recent games, I’ve struggled with stamina, but whenever an opportunity arises, the audience gives me huge encouragement. So even when I’m struggling on court, I really enjoy playing in front of everyone.”

Djokovic declined to reveal too much about his physical condition: “My legs are feeling okay now. In every match, I experience some physical issues, and there are other things we are working on daily to adjust. Hopefully, things will improve as the tournament progresses. I have a day off before the semifinals, which is good for me. I will approach the next match with the right mindset and motivation to try to win.”

Vacherot

In the semifinals, Djokovic will face qualifier dark horse Vacherot, who staged comebacks in two consecutive rounds. He defeated 10th seed Rune 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach his first Masters singles semifinal, continuing to make history for Monaco tennis. With 420 ranking points earned from reaching the semifinals, Vacherot’s live ranking has entered the Top 100 for the first time, now at No. 92.

2025 Shanghai Rolex Masters Draw Update

Photo: Provided by the tournament