Drama among the audience did not stop Medvedev from advancing to the semifinals; after a surprising revival, he openly stated after the match that he still doesn’t want to leave Shanghai.

In the recently concluded Shanghai Masters men’s singles quarterfinals, the 16th seed Medvedev won in straight sets, beating the 7th seed De Minaur 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals.

This match not only marked Medvedev’s first return to the Shanghai Masters semifinals since his 2019 championship but also his 16th Masters semifinal and 50th hard-court semifinal overall.

Returning to his favored venue, Medvedev was eager to replicate the glory of 2019 when he lifted the trophy here. However, the situation was tough as Medvedev’s performance had declined sharply this year, with disappointing results in the Grand Slams and a drop out of the world’s top ten rankings. His opponent, De Minaur, seeded 7th, is known as a consistent tour player and workhorse, and he was in good form at this event, also eager to achieve success in Shanghai.

Regarding their head-to-head record, Medvedev holds a clear advantage, which likely gave him a psychological edge in crucial points. However, De Minaur’s performance in this tournament was also impressive, having recorded 19 winners and only 11 unforced errors in his previous match.

In the first four games of the opening set, both players held serve steadily. The fifth game became the turning point as De Minaur’s form suddenly dipped, allowing Medvedev to win four consecutive points and break serve. Later, in the tenth game, the Russian saved a break point and converted his own serve to close the set 6-4.

The second set was even more competitive. De Minaur saved two break points early on, and both players continued holding serve. The eighth game was pivotal: Medvedev came back from 0-30 down and saved a break point to level the score at 4-4. In the crucial ninth game, Medvedev capitalized on his second break point to take a 5-4 lead. In the final stages, he remained composed, held serve to win the set 6-4, and secured his place in the semifinals.

It’s worth noting that the match was not without interruptions. During a critical moment in the second set, an incident in the stands caused the match to be briefly halted.

From the on-court microphone, the umpire was heard expressing frustration: “I don’t know what happened... Sorry. A spectator was shouting, and then the whole stadium wanted her removed.” He then apologized to both players: “Sorry, this... was very unexpected.”

This was not the first time audience disturbances disrupted the Shanghai Masters. On the tournament’s opening day, a 46-year-old woman, intoxicated, caused ongoing loud disturbances at the Qizhong Tennis Center, severely affecting the match atmosphere. The match was paused, and the woman was eventually escorted out by police and given an administrative penalty.

Fortunately, the drama did not affect the match outcome. The match lasted 1 hour and 53 minutes, with Medvedev serving 5 aces but also committing 6 double faults. The key to victory was break point conversion: Medvedev created 6 break points and converted 2, while De Minaur had 6 break points but failed to convert any.

In contrast, De Minaur had posted excellent stats in the previous round with 19 winners and only 11 unforced errors, but against Medvedev’s solid defense, he could not maintain that form.

This win was significant for Medvedev. It marked his 34th victory of the 2025 season and his second consecutive semifinal appearance on tour following the China Open. With this win, he earned 400 ranking points and $332,160 in prize money, boosting his world ranking back up to 14th and strengthening his chances for the year-end championships.

After the match, Medvedev couldn’t hide his joy, writing “Sha” in front of the cameras. In his interview, he said, “I still don’t want to leave the best city in the world!” This wasn’t his first time expressing affection for Shanghai; after his previous win, he also praised Shanghai as “the best city in the world.”

In the post-match interview, Medvedev maintained his usual humor and candidness.

Talking about his previous round against young American player Learner-Chien, he admitted, “I’m glad I won because every time I face him it feels like I get hurt; he’s an extraordinary player. Although he makes mistakes, at certain crucial moments his performance is unbelievable... I’m just relieved to have won, even though I’m not sure how I did it.”

This sense of relief perfectly reflects Medvedev’s current resurgence in confidence.

In the semifinals, Medvedev will face the tournament’s dark horse, French player Lindeknech, who has been the biggest surprise of this Shanghai Masters.

Ranked 54th before the tournament, Lindeknech has defeated strong opponents like Majedovic, Michelson, Zverev, and Lehecka to reach the semifinals. In the recent quarterfinals, he beat the 12th seed Aliassime in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, showing excellent form.

For Medvedev, this semifinal is both an opportunity and a challenge; he must take seriously this dark horse who has been creating miracles round after round.

The semifinal clash between Medvedev and Lindeknech will not only test Medvedev’s current form but could also be a crucial step for his return to the elite level. At this moment, perhaps the live support from the Shanghai fans has become the best symbol of his revival journey, as he looks forward to continuing to perform in front of all the fans.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)