The Shanghai Masters quarterfinals have begun: Rune suffers injury defeat, Djokovic grants fortune!

The opening two quarterfinal matches at the Shanghai Masters started, yet the much-awaited semifinal clash between Djokovic and Rune failed to appear as planned.

The first to take the court was tenth seed Rune, the Dane who, aside from his impressive victory at the Paris Masters a few years back, has repeatedly fallen just short of securing a second big tournament title in recent seasons.

This Shanghai Masters has been a rocky journey for him, and he had already urged the organizers to implement measures given the extreme weather conditions, suggesting that matches might need to be paused or postponed if necessary. Ironically, in today’s match, after winning the first set comfortably and seemingly on track to finish in two, he was dragged into a tiebreak in the second set by a resilient opponent. After losing that tiebreak, in the deciding set, despite having a chance to break back when the opponent served for the match, he failed to capitalize, ultimately watching his adversary continue the surprising run into the Masters semifinals for the first time.

Coincidentally, do you remember Rune being seeded fourth at last year’s US Open? At that time, he entered the Grand Slam with his career-high ranking of fourth but was placed on a court he considered unworthy. After complaining about it, Rune was promptly humbled, suffering a first-round exit. Comparing these two events inevitably brings a wry smile.

The victorious Monaco player will break into the top 100 in the world rankings next week and will face Djokovic, the oldest quarterfinalist in history, in the next round.

Djokovic, after winning his previous match, surpassed Federer’s record from six years ago to become the oldest player ever to reach the quarterfinals. That match saw him struggle and show signs of fatigue multiple times, and even during the post-match interview, he was brief and quickly left.

Today, facing the tough Borggs and despite two days of rest, Djokovic still showed signs of tiredness but gave his opponent little chance, winning in straight sets. Yet, if the match had gone to a deciding set, would we have seen a repeat of Rune’s fate? After reaching the Masters semifinals for the 80th time, Djokovic can surely start dreaming about lifting the trophy again.

In the other two matches, the Monaco player’s cousin, Frenchman Lindekniesi, will face Aliassime, while Deminar takes on Medvedev.

The Australian “Little Rabbit” against Medvedev — if he can fully exploit his speed and stamina, Medvedev will find it hard to engage in a long battle. Meanwhile, Aliassime’s excellent form since the US Open has led many to reassess his fighting ability. Facing the Frenchman this round, he is considered the favorite. Will Deminar or Aliassime seize the opportunity to claim their first Masters title? Let’s keep an eye on the remaining matches!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Cheng Qiye)