At the Shanghai Masters, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas exacted sweet revenge on their previous conquerors. Medvedev overcame Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-5, 7-5, while Tsitsipas defeated Kei Nishikori 7-6 (8/6), 6-4.
Medvedev, the world number five, faced a stern challenge from Seyboth Wild, who had stunned him in the first round of the 2023 French Open. The Brazilian broke first in both sets, but Medvedev’s resilience and determination proved too much.
Tsitsipas, who had suffered a shock loss to Nishikori in Montreal, displayed his fighting spirit. The Greek battled through a tight first set, winning the tiebreaker 8/6. Nishikori, hampered by injury, required a medical time-out in the second set, and Tsitsipas capitalized to close out the match.
In a surprise upset, world number nine Casper Ruud fell to 91st-ranked Aleksandar Vukic in straight sets. The Norwegian’s early exit follows another disappointing performance at the Japan Open.
American Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul advanced to the third round with comfortable victories over Denis Shapovalov and Fabio Fognini, respectively. Veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils also progressed, defeating Sebastian Baez in a hard-fought three-set match.
