SHANGHAI: Defending champion Daniil Medvedev was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters on Sunday after his shock 7-6 (10/8), 6-2 defeat at the hands of 26th-ranked Sebastian Korda.
The Russian fell apart in the second set after Korda won the first on a tiebreaker taken to the brink to finish 7-6 (10/8).
Medvedev then fell three games behind in the second set but looked like he might be about to make a comeback with a blistering win in the fourth game.
But the American fought back, taking the next game, and Medvedev grew increasingly agitated, gesticulating in frustration and bouncing his racket on the ground in anger.
Korda ended up defeating the world number three in straight sets, finishing the second 6-2.
“I feel awesome, I played an incredible match,” said 23-year-old Korda, thanking the crowd for their enthusiasm.
The match’s thrilling rallies drew gasps and exclamations from spectators as the two battled it out.
Casper Ruud earned consecutive ATP Masters 1000 hard-court wins for the first time this year on Sunday when he defeated American Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 6-2 to reach the fourth round at the Shanghai Masters.
The eighth seed Norwegian, who defeated Yoshihito Nishioka in his opening match, was too consistent for Eubanks. He committed just six unforced errors and saved all three break points he faced to advance after 72 minutes, ATP Tour reports.
Ruud last won back-to-back matches at a hard-court Masters in Montreal in 2022, when he reached the semi-finals. The Norwegian will aim to continue his run in Shanghai when he next plays Hungarian player Fabian Marozsan.
With his 35th win of the season, Ruud has also boosted his ATP Finals qualification chances. The 24-year-old is 10th in the ATP Live Race To Turin, 315 points behind eighth-placed Holger Rune, who lost in his opening match in Shanghai.
In other action, Lorenzo Sonego moved past Frances Tiafoe after their match had been suspended overnight due to rain. The Italian led 2-1 in the third set upon resumption and quickly sealed a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory to improve to 4-11 against Top 10 opponents.
Sonego’s best result at a Masters 1000 this year was a fourth-round appearance in Miami. The World No. 59 will play Nicolas Jarry in the third round.
On the other hand, J.J. Wolf upset Briton Cameron Norrie 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4). The American rallied from 3-5 in the third set to advance in the pair’s first ATP head-to-head meeting after two hours and 59 minutes. Wolf next faces Matteo Arnaldi in the third round.
Grigor Dimitrov beat Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 6-3, Arthur Fils beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 7-5, Dan Evans got walk over against Mikhail Kukushkin when the score was 6-2, 3-0.
The sixth seed Jannik Sinner beat Sebastian Baez beat 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, Francisco Cerundolo beat MártonFucsovics 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, Andrey Rublev beat Quentin Halys 6-4, 7-5 to reach the fourth round. Agencies
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