Shanghai Masters: Grigor Dimitrov beats Nicolas Jarry to reach semi-finals
Grigor Dimitrov is two wins away from a first ATP title in six years after reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.
Grigor Dimitrov is two wins away from a first ATP title in six years after reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.
Grigor Dimitrov backed up his upset of Carlos Alcaraz in style on Friday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where the Bulgarian downed Nicolas Jarry 7-6(2), 6-4 to reach the semi-finals for the first time at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 event.
The 18th-seeded Dimitrov delivered a rock-solid display in the face of a big-serving barrage from Jarry to advance to the last four in Shanghai for the first time in seven attempts. He made just three unforced errors in his one-hour, 39-minute victory, frequently showcasing his high-quality movement around the court and delighting the crowd inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena with some breathtaking hand skills.
“I think there were many components going the right way today,” said Dimitrov, who himself dropped just four points behind first serve in the match. “For me, he is one of the best servers right now. I’ve played him a couple of times, and I feel like every time it gets tougher and tougher to return against him. In the most important moments, I was able to be just solid, nothing else.
“I don’t think I did anything crazy in those moments, I just kept on believing in my game, kept going after my shots. You don’t get many opportunities against him, especially in the beginning it’s very difficult because he doesn’t give you any rhythm… I was trying to apply pressure with the hope that he might make a few mistakes, and he did.”
Dimitrov had notched his biggest win of the season by beating World No. 2 Alcaraz in the fourth round in Shanghai, but he entered Friday’s match with Jarry having lost both of the pair’s previous Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes. He appeared the more settled throughout, however, as he dominated the first-set tie-break before claiming a decisive break in the seventh game of the second set. It was just the second time the Chilean had dropped serve all tournament.
Now into his fifth ATP Tour semi-final of the season, Dimitrov is 35-18 as he looks to add another Masters 1000 title to his 2017 Cincinnati triumph. He acknowledged that Wednesday’s win against top seed Alcaraz, his first against a Top 5 opponent since 2021, had given him a boost heading into the Jarry encounter.
“[Beating Alcaraz] helps confidence-wise, but also it was just another match, if you think about it,” said Dimitrov. “I didn’t have much time to overthink it, I just had a little bit of a chat with the team and tried to see what I did pretty good, what worked, what didn’t, and what I could do better in the next round.
“We didn’t have much time to think about that but of course I take all the positives out of it because you need to feed off this every single round. I think so far things are good and I need to keep on going.”
Dimitrov Debates Perfect Player & The Shot That ‘Never Missed’
Dimitrov has now reached the semi-finals at seven of the nine Masters 1000 events. He will try to reach his second championship match at that level on Saturday, when he faces fifth seed Andrey Rublev or 32nd seed Ugo Humbert.
The Bulgarian is also up three spots to No. 16 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in China so far. Dimitrov could rise as high as No. 11 in Monday’s update of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by lifting the Shanghai trophy, which would be his highest position since October 2018.
Katie Boulter is named in the Great Britain squad to face Sweden in the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs on 11-12 November.
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos’ red-hot run at the Rolex Shanghai Masters continued Friday. The Spanish-Argentine pair eased past Rinky Hijikata and Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3 to reach the final at the ATP Masters 1000.
The seventh-seeded Granollers and Zeballos converted four of seven break points they earned in a 63-minute triumph inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. They have now won all eight sets they have played this year in Shanghai, where they are seeking their fifth Masters 1000 title as a team and their first since Cincinnati in 2021.
Next stop: Masters 1000 final 🏆@HoracioZeballos and @M_Granollers defeat Cameron Norrie and Rinky Hijikata 6-2, 6-3 to reach the doubles final in Shanghai.#RolexShanghaiMasters | @SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/8AEMIFOCA9
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 13, 2023
Granollers and Zeballos’ Shanghai run has already boosted their hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fourth straight year. They have risen two spots to fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as a result of their exploits so far in China.
Standing in their way in Sunday’s championship match will be the winner of Saturday’s semi-final clash between fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden and Sadio Doumbia/Fabien Reboul.
The Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships is the longest-running ATP Tour tournament in Asia, first held in 1972. Former champions include Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament in Japan:
The ATP 500 event will be held from 16-22 October. The hard-court tournament will take place at the Ariake Tennis Forest Park. The tournament director is Shigefusa Kanroji.
Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur are among those in action.
Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships singles draw will be made on Saturday, 14 October at 12 p.m.
* Qualifying: Saturday, 14 October at 11 a.m. and Sunday, 15 October at 11 a.m.
* Main Draw: Monday, 16 October – Thursday, 19 October at 11 p.m and 6 p.m. Friday, October 20 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, 21 October at 2 p.m.
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 22 October at 2 p.m.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 22 October not before 4:30 p.m.
The prize money for the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships is $1,857,660 and the Total Financial Commitment is $2,022,700.
SINGLES
Winner: $347,390 / 500 points
Finalist: $186,920 / 300 points
Semi-finalist: $99,615 / 180 points
Quarter-finalist: $50,895 / 90 points
Round of 16: $27,170 / 45 points
Round of 32: $14,490 / 0 points
DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: $114,100 / 500 points
Finalist: $60,860 / 300 points
Semi-finalist: $30,800 / 180 points
Quarter-finalist: $15,390 / 90 points
Round of 16: $7,970 / 0 points
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule
Hashtag: #japanopentennis
Facebook: Japan Open Tennis
Twitter: @Japanopentennis
Instagram: @kinoshitagroupjapanopen
Taylor Fritz won the 2022 Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships singles title with a 7-6(4), 7-6(3) victory against Frances Tiafoe in the championship match. Mackenzie McDonald and Marcelo Melo lifted the doubles trophy in Tokyo with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 triumph against Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez in the final.
Most Titles, Singles: Stefan Edberg (4)
Most Titles, Doubles: Rick Leach, Ken Flach (3)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 38, in 1973
Youngest Champion: Jimmy Arias, 18, in 1982
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Stefan Edberg in 1991, Pete Sampras in 1994 & 1996, Roger Federer in 2006, Rafael Nadal in 2010, Novak Djokovic in 2019..
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 121 Kenneth Carlsen in 2002
Last Home Champion: Kei Nishikori in 2014
Most Match Wins: Stefan Edberg (27)
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
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.
Who Got It Right? Looking Back At ATP Stars’ 2023 Predictions
Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings
| Players | Points |
| 5) Andrey Rublev | 3,855 |
| 6) Stefanos Tsitsipas | 3,615 |
| 7) Alexander Zverev | 3,415 |
| 8) Holger Rune | 3,110 |
| 9) Taylor Fritz | 2,875 |
| 10) Casper Ruud | 2,795 |
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.”
Korda Outlasts Shelton In Shanghai Thriller
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.”
Bulking Up: Korda Building The Body For Big Time Tennis
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.
