Andrey Rublev cannot qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals during the Rolex Shanghai Masters, but he can put himself on the doorstep of Turin. 

The highest-seeded player remaining in the ATP Masters 1000 draw, Rublev has a big opportunity to move closer to securing his fourth appearance at the season finale, which will be played from 12-19 November at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.

The 25-year-old began the tournament 105 points ahead of sixth-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. By the end of the event, he would hold a 1,060-point lead over the Greek should he win the title.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

The players currently between sixth and 14th in the Live Race all lost before the quarter-finals in Shanghai and only two members of that group — 10th-placed Casper Ruud and 11th-placed Tommy Paul — reached the Round of 16.

Instead of players breathing down Rublev’s neck in the Live Race, he has a chance to surge well ahead of the chasing pack. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner have already qualified for the year-end championships. Rublev is next in line.

Confident & Clinical 👊

Important point from @rublev on his way to getting the better of Paul 7-5, 7-5 to reach the Quarter-finals in Shanghai!#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/Afq0Q3ikYJ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 11, 2023

The 14-time ATP Tour titlist also has an opportunity in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. If he wins the title — which would mark his second Masters 1000 trophy of the season — he would climb to a career-high World No. 4.

Back to the Live Race… of the players remaining, 2021 Turin competitor Hubert Hurkacz has the best chance of moving into qualification contention. Currently in 11th place, the Polish star can ascend as high as 11th by triumphing in Shanghai. That would put him just 335 points behind eighth-placed Holger Rune.

Just more than four weeks remain until the Nitto ATP Finals.

At his best, Sebastian Korda’s game appears effortless. The American crushes the ball with smooth strokes and often takes the racquet out of his opponent’s hand. It is that aggressive tennis that has helped the 23-year-old reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final this week at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

But finding this level has not been easy for Korda, who has struggled throughout the year with a wrist injury.

“My injury actually started last year, probably around this time. I was battling with a wrist, then it was okay, then it got progressively worse during the training block right before the Australian Open,” Korda said. “I played in Adelaide, it was okay. As I started playing best-of-five, a lot of matches, against a lot of really big servers, especially going to the forehand, it was difficult. It started hurting a lot.

“Then, it was just a super long journey from there. I was out for three months, and just had to re-learn, basically, all the tennis stuff that I did, especially with the wrist. Basically every single practice, every single forehand that I hit, I was kind of just praying that it would stop hurting, and it just never would.”

KORDAAAAA!!

Seb Korda reaches his first Masters semi-final in a nail-biting match against fellow American Shelton 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6)!#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/2K2qrYY9cT

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2023

Korda admitted that occasionally he still has some issues, especially on the forehand side.

“I just don’t have a lot of reps, you could say, on my forehand side — on my forehand, on my forehand volleys, returning,” Korda said. “It’s just something that will come. I’ve just got to play a lot more matches, a lot more practices and hopefully it becomes normal again.”

The American is 21st in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin despite all the time he has missed this year. At the beginning of the season, he held championship point against Novak Djokovic in the Adelaide final and defeated Daniil Medvedev en route to the Australian Open quarter-finals.

“Missed three months, but I also missed another four months of kind of re-learning how to do everything,” Korda said. “I lost a lot of time this year with my injury, and, yeah, it’s definitely sucked, but right now I’m starting to really get back into it, playing some really good tennis again, some high-level tennis, and hopefully the results will follow.”

That has been the case this week in Shanghai, where last week’s Astana finalist Korda has defeated Medvedev, Francisco Cerundolo and Ben Shelton en route to the semi-finals. He needed a final-set tie-break to oust Shelton — with whom he shared a nice post-match moment at the net — for a place in the last four.

“It was definitely a really good moment. Ben’s a really good guy. He’s got a great family. We’ve started to know each other really well these past couple months. We have a great relationship together. We played doubles one time, will definitely play again in the future,” Korda said. “I think we just talked about the tie-break and we were just kind of laughing.

“He’s an incredible player, he’s electric, he’s fun to watch. He’s fun to play against, honestly. I had a lot of fun during the match today. Honestly, just shows also the type of person that he is. He’s incredibly nice, always has a smile on his face, and just a really great guy all around.”

Two of the bright lights of American tennis clashed for the first time on Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton’s quarter-final meeting did not disappoint.

Korda prevailed 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6) against his #NextGenATP countryman Shelton in the first all-American ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since 2017. Shelton was energetic on court as always and sent down 17 aces with his booming lefty serve, but it was the calm and collected 26th seed Korda who held firm to win despite letting slip five match points from 6/1 in the deciding-set tie-break.

“It’s super cool,” said Korda, when asked about reaching his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final. “I played a really high level. Ben did as well, so I think it was a really high level. We had a lot of great points out there and hopefully it’s the first of many battles that we play against each other.

“He’s such an electric tennis player and it was a lot of fun to share the court with him today.”

KORDAAAAA!!

Seb Korda reaches his first Masters semi-final in a nail-biting match against fellow American Shelton 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6)!#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/2K2qrYY9cT

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 12, 2023

The thrilling climax was the second tie-break of a pulsating encounter under the closed roof of Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. Shelton had clinched an opening set in which Korda started more confidently but could not make inroads against Shelton’s serve. The 21-year-old Shelton saved a set point at 8/9 in the tie-break before converting his fifth set point to deflate Korda after his positive start.

That disappointment did not deter the World No. 26, however. Korda raced to the second set, breaking three times, as Shelton began to show signs of fatigue. That pattern continued into the decider, when Korda surged 4-2 ahead, but Shelton maintained power and accuracy with his forehand to rally and set up the closing tie-break drama. He was unable to complete the comeback, however, as Korda advanced having converted five of 16 break points he earned.

“I’m just thankful to stay calm,” said Korda after staving off Shelton’s late charge. “I played some bad points but I always believed in myself, even at 6/6. I just thought about putting the return in the court, somehow getting my racquet on it and luckily I finished it off then.”

With his two-hour, 55-minute triumph, Korda became the first semi-finalist from the United States in Shanghai tournament history and improved to 7-5 against Top 20 opponents this season. The 23-year-old, who upset World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the third round, will take on 16th seed Hubert Hurkacz in his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final after the Pole earlier defeated Fabian Marozsan 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

“I’ve been playing some really good tennis the past couple of weeks,” said Korda, who is now 26-13 for the season. “I had a good result in Zhuhai, then went to Astana and made the final and now the semis here. I’m playing some good tennis now and hopefully I can keep it going and keep playing the way I’m playing.”

Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul’s success on Chinese soil continued Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where the French duo downed second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.

Doumbia and Reboul, who lifted their maiden ATP Tour title in Chengdu two weeks ago, delivered a top-class serving performance against Koolhof and Skupski to reach the last four at an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. They won 81 per cent (38/47) of points behind their first delivery for a one-hour, 48-minute triumph.

The sixth seeds Doumbia and Reboul are now 26-18 for the season. The pair has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, alongside its Chengdu triumph, and is currently 16th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Lifting the biggest title of their careers in Shanghai would boost Doumbia and Reboul as they look to make a late charge at qualification for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

Their semi-final opponents in China will be the winner’s of Thursday’s night-session match between fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden and eighth seeds Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer.

Hubert Hurkacz kept his cool in the face of an early Fabian Marozsan onslaught to book a semi-final berth Thursday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The 16th-seeded Pole prevailed 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to end Marozsan’s dream run at the ATP Masters 1000 event. After twice dropping his serve in the opening set as his Hungarian opponent made inroads with clean baseline hitting off both wings, Hurkacz dialled in behind his delivery and lost just nine points on serve across the second and third sets for a one-hour, 43-minute triumph.

“He came with some really great shots, and I just needed to stay positive and keep committing to the gameplan,” said Hurkacz after his win. “To be aggressive, because if I dropped anything short he was just taking advantage of it and coming with some really incredible shots. I knew I had to stay on point today.”

“What did you have to do to turn the match around?”

“Keep coming into the game plan, and be aggressive because if I dropped anything short, he was taking advantage of it…”@HubertHurkacz did exactly that‼️

A massive #InAttack increase in sets 2 & 3 📈 @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/gZKkLWUUHU

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) October 12, 2023

Hurkacz converted five of 11 break points he earned overall in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Hungary’s Marozsan, who had upset Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud en route to his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. The six-time ATP Tour champion Hurkacz finished with 39 winners, including 18 aces, to improve to 6-5 in Masters 1000 quarter-finals.

It was a Tour-leading 21st deciding-set victory of the 2023 season for Hurkacz, who is five clear of second-placed Francisco Cerundolo in that category. Now into the last four for the first time in three Shanghai appearances, he will meet 19th seed Ben Shelton or 26th seed Sebastian Korda next as he chases his second Masters 1000 crown (after Miami 2021).

Thursday’s comeback win could also prove crucial in setting up the Pole for a late charge towards Nitto ATP Finals qualification. The 26-year-old Hurkacz, who made his only appearance at the prestigious season finale in 2021, is currently 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He is 975 points behind eighth-placed Holger Rune but could close that gap to 335 points by lifting the trophy in Shanghai.

Despite defeat, Marozsan can look back on another breakthrough run in Shanghai. The 24-year-old, who upset Carlos Alcaraz in May en route to the fourth round as a qualifier in Rome, has risen 26 spots to No. 65 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his exploits in China. The Hungarian will comfortably improve on his previous career high of No. 82 in Monday’s update of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Carlos Alcaraz does not plan on dwelling too much on his three-set defeat to Grigor Dimitrov in the Round of 16 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Instead, the Spaniard is eager to return to the practice court after tallying a 5-2 record during the Asian Swing.

“I always say that you can improve more from the defeats than the wins. After this trip, I took a lot of lessons to improve, to be better,” Alcaraz said in his press conference. “As I said in Beijing, I have to work on a few things to beat the best guys and after this loss, it [happened] not too much time ago, so I have to think about it. But I will take a lot of lessons to improve in practice before the tournaments that I have ahead.

“I think I’m playing great tennis. Even if I didn’t make the quarter-finals [in Shanghai] or lost in the semi-finals [in Beijing], I think I’m playing great tennis. So I have to practise at my 100 per cent in the weeks before Basel. That is the next tournament for me, so I’ll try to make my best in that tournament.”

The No. 2 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings appeared in good position to battle through against the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion after winning the first set. But Dimitrov maintained his level and Alcaraz was never able to find the answers he so often does to turn the momentum back in his favour.

“Probably I had to start the second set better. I think I made a few mistakes in the first game that I shouldn’t do. That is the truth,” Alcaraz said. “It was a little bit of a surprise for me as well, the way that he started the second set after let’s say a tough first set for him.

“He didn’t make up and downs in his game after a really good first set. He started really well the second set, and kept that level, that intensity during the second set and the third set. He didn’t let me put my game on the match. I was all the time fighting to find a way to put the match on my own game, but I couldn’t. And I think that was the key of the match.”

He never left 🔥

Dimitrov used his forehand as his biggest weapon v. Alcaraz 🫡#ShotQuality | @tennis_insights pic.twitter.com/JJjmv2VJA9

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 11, 2023

Although Alcaraz lamented a missed opportunity in Asia to make up ground on Novak Djokovic in the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone, he made sure to credit Dimitrov for his performance to earn his first win in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I think he played great. He played a great match since the beginning until the last ball. No up and downs in his game,” Alcaraz said. “Comparing to the matches that we’ve played before, he was on another level today. So congratulations to him and I have to be better if I want to beat this Grigor.”

Carlos Alcaraz had an opportunity to seize control of the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone in Shanghai. Instead, Novak Djokovic remains in pole position to claim the honour.

Had Alcaraz reached the final of the Rolex Paris Masters, the Spaniard would have passed Djokovic for first place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for the year-end No. 1 battle. However, the 20-year-old lost in the Round of 16 to Grigor Dimitrov.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

That result leaves Djokovic in the lead by 500 points with one month to go until the Nitto ATP Finals. There is time for Alcaraz to bridge the gap, but his defeat to Dimitrov could prove an important moment in the battle.

“With this loss, I’m a little bit farther and it’s going to be tougher if I want to be No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “I have a few tournaments ahead, so I will try to do my best. I will try to win them if I want to have a chance to end the year as No. 1. I don’t know, but right right now I lost a lot of opportunities to make it.”

Djokovic owns the record for most ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone finishes with seven, the most recent of which came in 2021. Alcaraz last year became the youngest player in history to achieve the feat.

Alcaraz is next scheduled to compete in the Swiss Indoors Basel, an ATP 500 event at which he could earn 500 points and tie Djokovic by winning the title. Both men are set to play in the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, the Rolex Paris Masters, the following week.