The Shanghai Masters and Wuhan Open continue in China, with the first set of quarter-finals at the former and the round of 16 at the latter. Both tournaments have seen significant upsets, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic among those eliminated early in Shanghai, while fifth seed Elina Svitolina is now the highest-ranked woman remaining in Wuhan.
Shock Exits and Withdrawals in Wuhan
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock opening-round defeat to Ann Li on Wednesday, and it has now been more than six months since she won a title. Jessica Pegula blew match points in her opening match, and third and fourth seeds Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova withdrew before the tournament began.
Injury Woes Disrupt Shanghai Quarter-Finals
Injuries have also disrupted the Shanghai Masters. Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was forced to retire just 35 minutes into his match against Casper Ruud on Wednesday after picking up a knee injury, which sent Ruud through to the quarter-finals.
Soon-to-be world No. 1 Alexander Zverev has been playing through an ankle injury, which may trouble him again when he faces Alex de Minaur for a place in the semi-finals. De Minaur's speed is not ideal for someone feeling physical discomfort. In Thursday's other quarter-final, Arthur Gea meets Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Six Kings Slam Postponed Amid Attacks
The lucrative Six Kings Slam exhibition event has officially been postponed. Alcaraz and Djokovic were among those scheduled to head to Riyadh next week for a chance to earn £4.5m in prize money, with players also guaranteed £1.1m. The tournament will now take place at the end of the year, confirmed in a statement released by Saudi official Turki Al Alshikh. The postponement comes amid Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia.
Zverev has been carrying an ankle injury that seemed to affect him in his previous two matches. He was seen shaking out his leg between points against Quentin Halys, and pulled out of some service motions while wincing in pain against Alexander Bublik two days ago. Despite the issue, he has continued winning, saying: "My ankle was acting up unfortunately again which kind of is also understandable … I'm feeling my body more and more."
