World no. 1 Jannik Sinner will compete in his tenth semi-final of the season at the Shanghai Masters. The Italian faced world no. 5 Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-final and scored a one-sided 6-1, 6-4 victory in an hour and 24 minutes, setting a possible clash with Carlos Alcaraz.
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The Russian struggled with a shoulder injury, recovering his game a bit in the second set after a terrible start but falling in straight sets. Thus, Jannik leveled the overall H2H score with Daniil to 7-7, dropping the first six matches before celebrating in seven of the following eight encounters.
The world's best player fired nine aces and dropped 12 points in nine service games, defending the only break point and mounting the pressure on the other side. Medvedev struggled to find the first serve, further plaguing his chances.
He played well behind the first serve but struggled behind the second, taking six of 27 points and suffering three breaks from four opportunities offered to his opponent. Jannik tamed his strokes nicely, landing 27 winners and ten unforced errors.
Daniil added 12 winners and 19 mistakes to his tally, ending his campaign in the quarter-final. The Italian fired more service winners and took charge from the baseline, outplaying his rival in the shortest and more advanced exchanges.
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Sinner claimed the opening game of the match with a service winner and generated two break chances in the second after a backhand down the line winner. Medvedev netted a routine backhand on the first, losing serve and experiencing an early setback.
Jannik held at love in the third game with a lob winner, cementing the break and settling into a fine rhythm. A volley winner sent world no. 1 4-1 in front before making another push on the return in the next one. Struggling to impose his shots, Daniil sent a backhand wide, losing serve at 15 and falling 5-1 behind.
Sinner served for the opener in game seven and landed an ace, wrapping up the first part of the duel in 25 minutes. Medvedev held after a deuce in the first game of the second set and faced more issues at 1-1.
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Jannik Sinner dropped five games against Daniil Medvedev in Shanghai.
The Russian missed a forehand and encountered a break point, denying it with a service winner and surviving a couple of more deuces to remain on the positive side with a crafty volley.
The Italian closed the fourth game at 30 and bounced back from 0-40 on the return in the next one. Daniil experienced a massive blow, squandering four game points and losing serve after a double fault to find himself a set and a break down.
World no. 1 held at love with a service winner for 4-2 and played another comfortable service game for a 5-3 advantage. Medvedev served to stay in the match in the ninth game and closed it after a deuce to prolong the action.
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Sinner served for the win at 5-4 and wasted a match point after a loose drop shot. World no. 5 drew the rival's mistake and created a break chance, his first of the match. Jannik saved it with a forced error and seized the second match point with a forehand drive-volley winner, sealing the deal and reaching his first Shanghai Masters semi-final.
The 23-year-old is 63-6 this season, leading the Tour with seven titles and marching toward the year-end no. 1 honor. Sinner could face his greatest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in the semi-final, two weeks after their thrilling Beijing Open final clash.
The Spaniard prevailed 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 in three hours and 21 minutes, taking the title away from world no. 1. Jannik and Carlos confirmed they were above everyone else, pushing each other to the limits from start to finish and entertaining an entire tennis world.
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Sinner could have defended the title, overcoming a massive deficit in the opener and creating break chances at 4-3 in set number two. Also, the Italian led 3-0 in the deciding tie break before dropping seven straight points to finish runner-up.
Alcaraz won 12 points more, mainly thanks to that strong finish.
He played better behind the first serve and denied four of six break points, mounting the pressure on the other side.
Jannik had to dig deep to stay in touch, dropping 40% of the points in his games and playing against 15 break points. He saved 12 and extended his chances, moving closer to the finish line before finishing runner-up. Carlos embraced an aggressive approach and hit 55 winners and 52 unforced errors, besting the rival's 30-31 ratio.
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Also, world no. 3 attacked the net and went for his points, especially in the pivotal moments. Alcaraz faces Tomas Machac in the quarter-final, and if he scores a win, we will see another duel between the two world's best players.
