Today, the two semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai are set to take place, with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner still in contention. Following the Italian's victory over Daniil Medvedev and the tournament upset with Machac’s win over Carlos Alcaraz, the remaining two quarterfinal matches in the men's draw were played.
It was an easy round for Taylor Fritz, who defeated Belgium's David Goffin in straight sets. The American, who was a finalist against Sinner in the recent US Open, won with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4 in just over an hour and 23 minutes. His semifinal opponent will be Novak Djokovic, who surprisingly faced more resistance than expected against the young rising star, 2005-born Mensik.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, triumphed with a final score of 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. The former world No. 1 is still in the hunt for a spot at the ATP Finals in Turin and will face Fritz today. Earlier in the day, Sinner will take on Machac in the first semifinal, scheduled for 10:30 AM CET. With Carlos Alcaraz's early exit, the Italian is already guaranteed to finish the season as the ATP's top-ranked player, regardless of the upcoming results.
Jannik Sinner rewrites Italian tennis history: triumph at the ATP Finals
17 Nov - 22:58 •
2' min
Also of note, Jasmine Paolini was eliminated from the Wuhan tournament. The Italian fell in the quarterfinals to hometown favorite Zheng, losing in three sets with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The WTA semifinals will be Zheng vs. Wang and Sabalenka vs. Gauff. Nevertheless, Paolini has already secured her spot in the historic WTA Finals.
