Medvedev beats Tsitsipas for 11th time, sets up Paul QF in Shanghai

No break points faced

Daniil Medvedev once again had the answers against one of his oldest rivals. The fifth seed beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 7-5 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, wrapping up the match in an hour and 24 minutes without facing a single break point.

The Russian set the tone early. "I felt like I was playing very well today. I put a lot of pressure on him in the first set," Medvedev said afterwards, as quoted by AFP. Tsitsipas stayed with him deep into the second set, but he never managed to create a single opening on the Russian's serve, and Medvedev closed out the match 7-5.

The result extends Medvedev's lead in the head-to-head to 11-5. Their rivalry has rarely been short of edge, and the pair met at the same stage in Shanghai two years ago, when Medvedev also prevailed. For Tsitsipas, who brought up his 400th tour-level win earlier this week by beating Luciano Darderi, the wait for a statement win over the Russian goes on.

A city he loves

Shanghai has long been one of Medvedev's most productive stops. He won the title here in 2019, beating Alexander Zverev in the final, and this is now the third year in a row he has reached at least the last eight, after also getting that far in 2024 and 2025.

"I love Shanghai as a city. It is one of my favourite stops on Tour, so trying to stay as long as possible," Medvedev said in his on-court interview. The 30-year-old is chasing his first Masters 1000 title since he triumphed in Rome in 2023.

Paul ends Bergs' run

Standing in his way is Tommy Paul. The American ended Zizou Bergs' fairytale week with a 7-6(5) 6-4 win, two days after the Belgian had stunned Carlos Alcaraz in the third round. "I know sometimes it's hard to back up a big win," Paul said of his opponent, according to AFP.

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Paul has been quietly impressive in Shanghai. He knocked out defending champion Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-2 earlier in the tournament, and he knows he can beat Medvedev: at the 2024 Italian Open he defeated the Russian, then the defending champion in Rome, 6-1 6-4.

The other quarter-final confirmed on Wednesday features Spain's Rafael Jódar, who came from a set down for the third match in a row to beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2, against Casper Ruud. The Norwegian advanced when fourth seed Félix Auger-Aliassime retired with a left knee injury while trailing 5-2 in the first set.

The remaining four quarter-finalists were decided on Tuesday: world No. 1 Alexander Zverev, who meets Alex de Minaur, Masters debutant Arthur Géa and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Medvedev, the 2019 champion, and Paul, who has already beaten the defending champion, now meet for a place in the semi-finals.