Korda cuts short Medvedev's bid

SHANGHAI — Defending champion Daniil Medvedev was knocked out of the Rolex Shanghai Masters' third round in straight sets on Sunday with a shock defeat at the hands of 26th-ranked Sebastian Korda.

The Russian fell apart in the second set after Korda won the first on an enthralling tiebreaker, with the match finishing 7-6 (8), 6-2.

The world No 3 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 American Korda fought back, taking the next game, and Medvedev grew increasingly agitated, gesticulating in frustration and smashing his racket.

"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.

"We played a really good tiebreaker, you know, it was up and down from the beginning... I'm happy to be on the winning side of it!" Korda added.

Medvedev had said the game would be "interesting" for him beforehand, referencing the fact that Korda beat him in their last meeting.

On Saturday, he also said he thought either "the court or the balls were slow", but that he wasn't sure which one.

Medvedev's elimination was watched courtside by tournament top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who did not play on Sunday.

Medvedev won the 2019 title, but for the next three years the tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'm definitely happy to be back in Shanghai," he said on Saturday. "I honestly feel great and I want to stay here as long as possible."

Medvedev is popular with Chinese fans, a chemistry on display when the indoor match was interrupted briefly after a red-and-white butterfly distracted the Russian from serving.

The crowd giggled as he played up his surprise for comic effect, before carefully handing over the insect, which had settled on one of his tennis balls, to great applause.

"I'm not scared of insects, but, like, I don't like it when they land on me on me," Medvedev said at a news conference afterward, though he added it was "perfect for me" upon hearing butterflies were a symbol of good luck in China.

World No 9 Casper Ruud continued his smooth progress through the tournament with another straight-sets win on Sunday, this time against the United States' Christopher Eubanks.

Ruud appeared in control throughout against the 32nd-ranked American, with the third-round match ending 6-4, 6-2.

The Norwegian said he was pleased he'd held his nerve against a "tough, fast" player.

Ruud said he was looking ahead to qualification for the ATP Finals tournament in Turin, which takes place in November and features the world's best eight qualified players.

"I know every week is going to matter, and that's motivating and a bit stressful at the same time, but I like the battle and the competition," he said.

World No 7 Andrey Rublev is through to the third round after defeating France's Quentin Halys.

Two top-20 players exited the tournament in the second round Sunday.

Britain's 16th-ranked Cameron Norrie was defeated by the United States' JJ Wolf, ranked 51st.

And 59th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego took out world No 13 Frances Tiafoe, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3.

On Saturday, top seed Alcaraz made strong start to his Shanghai campaign, winning in straight sets to sail through to the third round.

Italy's Jannik Sinner also advanced after battling out an intense first set — saving four set points — against the United States' Marcos Giron.

Alcaraz dominated his first set against 73rd-ranked Gregoire Barrere, winning it 6-2.

But the Frenchman regained ground in the second, sending 20-year-old Alcaraz scurrying around the court.

The world No 2 kept his cool and edged in front toward the end of the set, finishing it off 7-5.

"There were no ups and downs on my game," said Alcaraz when asked what had pleased him most about his performance.

"I just stayed at the same level all the time. (Barrere) increased his level, but... my level of focus was all the time the same."

The Spaniard appeared to be preoccupied by the notion of playing consistently after he said he went "out of his mind" during his defeat at the hands of eventual champion Sinner at the China Open in Beijing last week.

The loss dealt a blow to his plan to close the gap on the absent Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings with strong performances in China.

Asked whether he was more worried about meeting Sinner again or Medvedev later in the tournament, Alcaraz laughed.

"That's a tough one. Both of them," he said. "It's scary to face them... but I like that kind of challenge," he added. "I want to play my best level to make the final and probably face them."

Zhang makes history

Last Friday, Chinese men's No 1 Zhang Zhizhen made history in his hometown, becoming the first Chinese player to progress to the third round of the Shanghai Masters with a nail-biting win over Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Before a raucous crowd who bellowed encouragement at every opportunity, Zhang continued his brilliant season by fighting back from a first-set loss to eventually prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

AFP