Tennis: the Shanghai Masters
Shanghai: quarter-finals · Wuhan: round threeAlexander Zverev is through, but limping. The top seed beat Alexander Bublik 7–6(6), 4–6, 7–6(1) in the Shanghai round of 16 on Tuesday, taking 2 hours 37 minutes and a tie-break after saving set points in the first. A German report said he played with a painful right ankle, and his quarter-final is against ninth seed Alex de Minaur, who beat Karen Khachanov 6–3, 6–4.
The bottom of the draw is filling up with surprises. Frenchman Arthur Gea, who knocked out third seed Ben Shelton, beat 13th seed Jakub Mensik 7–6(4), 6–4, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina came from a set down to beat Hubert Hurkacz. Daniil Medvedev then beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–4, 7–5 on Wednesday (a single-source result); the Bergs v Paul fourth-round match was not confirmed.
In Wuhan, Britain's Sonay Kartal turned a second-round meeting with ninth seed Belinda Bencic into a rout, winning 6–0, 7–5 to reach round three. Katie Boulter's meeting with 11th seed Diana Shnaider was on Tuesday; no score was found, but Shnaider is through to round two and beat Yulia Putintseva 6–2, 6–2 on Wednesday, so Boulter is out. Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Iva Jovic and Jasmine Paolini also won, and Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula play later. Both events finish on Sunday 18 October.
- Zverev bt Bublik 7–6(6), 4–6, 7–6(1) (Tue 13 Oct); QF v de Minaur
- Gea bt Mensik 7–6(4), 6–4; Davidovich Fokina bt Hurkacz in three sets (Tue 13 Oct)
- Kartal bt Bencic 6–0, 7–5 in Wuhan round two (Wed 14 Oct)
- Latest ATP list on atptour.com is dated 5 Oct (Sinner 11,000, Zverev 9,720); Zverev is guaranteed year-end No 1
- Shanghai and Wuhan finals: Sun 18 Oct
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If you're new to this
The men's tour has four levels. The four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) are on top, followed by nine Masters 1000 events including Shanghai, then smaller tournaments. The women's tour has the equivalent WTA 1000 events, including Wuhan.
A match is played in sets, and a set in games. Within a game, points go 15, 30, 40, then game, and at 40-40 (deuce) a player must win two points in a row. Most tour matches are the best of three sets, and Slams are the best of five for men. A tie-break, such as the one that ended Zverev's match with Bublik 7–1, decides a set at 6–6.
Rankings are based on points won over the previous 52 weeks, so injuries hurt twice: a missed event means missed points and a falling ranking. Sinner and Alcaraz both missed long stretches of 2026, which is how Zverev, winner of the French Open and US Open this year, caught up.
Seeds are the best-ranked players, placed in the draw so they do not meet early. Unseeded players like Bergs (world No 39) beating a top seed is what makes early rounds exciting.