The Shanghai Masters continues as more stars hunt a place in the quarter-finals. Top seed Alexander Zverev has already booked his place in the last eight, narrowly beating Alexander Bublik in a final-set tiebreak. But the German raised injury concerns when he pulled out of some service motions during the match and later admitted he was feeling something in his ankle, which required surgery in 2022 after he snapped several ligaments.
Zverev's Year-End No.1 Hopes
It’s bad timing for the 29-year-old, who is guaranteed to become the year-end No. 1 for the first time in his career after Jannik Sinner ended his 2026 season and Carlos Alcaraz lost early in Shanghai. But Zverev has now explained why he didn’t want to retire from the match against Bublik.
There are more exciting clashes to come in Shanghai, as Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will renew their thrilling rivalry in the round of 16. The pair go way back, and there’s been plenty of drama over the years. Way back in 2018, an umpire had to step in during a post-match spat which saw Tsitsipas brand Medvedev a “bulls*** Russian”. Medvedev once called Tsitsipas a “small cat” and, on a separate occasion, seemed to make fun of the Greek star’s dancing celebration.
Kartal's Huge Upset in Wuhan
At the Wuhan Open, the last WTA 1000 event of the season, the top seeds are now in action and hunting for places in the third round. Iga Swiatek has already notched a win, while Britain’s Sonay Kartal caused one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, stunning ninth seed Belinda Bencic 6-0 7-5. Kartal spent six months sidelined by a back injury and only returned to action a month ago. She’s currently ranked down at No. 170 in the world after her lengthy layoff.
Playing just the third tournament of her comeback after the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the China Open, Kartal earned her biggest win of the season. After bagelling the former Olympic champion in the first set, Kartal won a topsy-turvy second set which saw five breaks of serve.
