Shanghai - 14/10

Good morning and welcome back to TIE-Breakfast: all the tennis you need with breakfast.

Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000s and Grand Slams, brought forward to 6:00 every morning for this tournament.

Today is Wednesday, October 14, and in Shanghai it is 12:00 and 20 degrees. Ok, here we go.

Today at Breakfast

• 🇩🇪 Zverev saves three set points against Bublik and reaches the quarterfinals with a sore ankle
• 🇪🇸 Davidovich Fokina comes back against Hurkacz and ends his Shanghai streak
• 🇫🇷 Gea beats Mensik for his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal
• 🇦🇺 De Minaur gets past Khachanov and meets Zverev again
• 🎾 Today Medvedev against Tsitsipas, Ruud against Auger-Aliassime

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:

🇩🇪 Zverev saves three set points against Bublik and reaches the quarterfinals

Alexander Zverev beat Alexander Bublik 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(1). In the first-set tiebreak the Kazakh went up 6-3 and missed three set points in a row; in the third set he went a break up and could not hold it. For Zverev it is his 40th Masters 1000 quarterfinal, and the first with the year-end No. 1 ranking already secured.

After the match the German talked about his right ankle, which visibly hampered him in the third set: "My ankle was acting up, unfortunately. It was kind of understandable because I have been playing a lot of tennis, which is kind of a good sign because I have been playing well." The final tiebreak, won 7-1, says more about his head than his body, and it remains to be seen how much of that ankle he will carry into the quarterfinal against Alex de Minaur, who has won their last two meetings, both at the Laver Cup.

🇪🇸 Davidovich Fokina comes back against Hurkacz and ends his Shanghai streak

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Hubert Hurkacz 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6). The Pole closed out the first set in a few minutes, hit 21 aces and won more points (99 to 88), but converted only 3 of 12 break points.

That ends Hurkacz's run of nine straight wins in Shanghai, where he won the title in 2023. The two met two weeks ago in the Chengdu final, which the Spaniard also won after a tiebreak in which Hurkacz led 6-3. In both matches the deciding tiebreak went to Davidovich Fokina, who played the last points with a freedom that, from the outside, looked almost out of place.

🇫🇷 Gea beats Mensik for his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal

Arthur Gea beat Jakub Mensik 7-6(4), 6-4. In the first set the Frenchman was down 0-3 in the tiebreak and won it 7-4, then in the second the break at 3-2 was enough. Both players were born in 2005.

Gea is playing his first main draw at a Masters 1000 and has already beaten Ben Shelton and Mensik, two seeds. After his Los Cabos title in the summer, Shanghai is showing him how much he can sustain over several matches in a row against players of this level. In the quarterfinals he will face Davidovich Fokina.

🇦🇺 De Minaur gets past Khachanov and meets Zverev again

Alex de Minaur beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, with one break per set and his first match point converted.

The Australian had retired from the Beijing final against Novak Djokovic with a left adductor problem, and that was exactly the question on his arrival in Shanghai. A clean two-set win over Khachanov does not settle it, but it is the most reassuring signal he could give before a quarterfinal against Zverev.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• Van de Zandschulp vs Jodar - At 06:00 Italian time on the Stadium, opening the second day of the round of 16. Botic van de Zandschulp comes off his win over Arthur Fils, Rafael Jodar off his win over Jiri Lehecka.
• Ruud vs Auger-Aliassime - To follow on the Stadium. A round-of-16 match that also counts in the race to Turin, and one of the two will stop here.
• Medvedev vs Tsitsipas - Not before 12:00 Italian time on the Stadium. The most anticipated match of the day: the two have already met here, in the 2019 semifinal, won by Medvedev.
• Paul vs Bergs - To follow on the Stadium. Zizou Bergs comes off his win over Carlos Alcaraz, Tommy Paul off his win over defending champion Valentin Vacherot; the winner finds a draw without Alcaraz.

Read More

• ATP Shanghai: Zverev and Davidovich Fokina edge through in photo finishes. Bitter defeats for Bublik and Hurkacz
• ATP Shanghai: clinical de Minaur against Khachanov, Gea keeps surprising
• Zverev suffers but beats Bublik in three sets: into the quarterfinals in Shanghai
• Race to Turin: in Shanghai the Auger-Aliassime vs Ruud clash is worth the ATP Finals
• Zverev defeats Bublik to reach Shanghai Masters quarterfinals
• Match schedule for Wednesday, October 14 in Shanghai

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 06:00 with TIE-Breakfast.