Injured Géa retires in Shanghai, Davidovich Fokina into semi-finals

Arthur Géa's remarkable run at the Rolex Shanghai Masters ended in the cruellest way on Thursday. The 21-year-old Frenchman, playing his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, retired after just 22 minutes against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, trailing 1-4 in the first set with a psoas injury.

The problem appeared before a ball had been struck in anger. "This morning, when I warmed up, I felt a big pain in my psoas," Géa told French media, according to Eurosport, admitting he had not been sure he would take to the court at all. He tried, but the pain was too severe for him to play at full intensity. "It would have been too dangerous for the end of the season, so I couldn't continue," he said, quoted by the ATP.

A breakthrough week cut short

The retirement takes nothing away from what Géa achieved in Shanghai. Ranked 56th, he beat compatriot Ugo Humbert, then claimed the first top-10 win of his career against Ben Shelton, before knocking out Jakub Menšík in the last 16.

It caps a season of rapid progress. Géa started 2026 outside the top 240, won his maiden ATP title in Los Cabos in August and reached the fourth round of the US Open. According to Eurosport, he had played 21 matches in ten weeks before Thursday – a workload that may have caught up with him. The Frenchman said he hoped to recover quickly from what he called a "small setback", and French media expect him to receive a wildcard for the Paris Masters.

Davidovich Fokina's fourth Masters semi-final

For Davidovich Fokina, the walkover-style finish is a rare quiet moment in a week of drama. The 25th seed opened with a win over Jenson Brooksby, then saved a match point to beat Frances Tiafoe in one of the matches of the tournament, and saved two more to come back against Hubert Hurkacz in the last 16.

Zverev outhits De Minaur to reach first Shanghai semi-final since 2019

The Spaniard is now into the fourth Masters 1000 semi-final of his career, and he will have fresh legs for Saturday after spending less than half an hour on court on Thursday.

Zverev the obstacle

Standing in his way is the world No. 1. Alexander Zverev beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 later on Thursday to reach his first Shanghai semi-final since 2019, and he dominates the head-to-head 6-1. Davidovich Fokina's only win over the German came at the 2023 Canadian Open in Toronto.

Zverev, who has already sealed the year-end No. 1 ranking, has improved with every round after early problems with his ankle. Davidovich Fokina, meanwhile, has turned resilience into a trademark this week. Their semi-final is scheduled for Saturday, while the other half of the draw, featuring Daniil Medvedev against Tommy Paul, completes its quarter-finals first.