Alexander Zverev beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 at the Shanghai Masters on Thursday to reach the semifinals, where he will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Zverev made 80% of his first serves and saved all five break points he faced. He said he felt good on court.
“I felt both of us were playing really, really well. I was a lot of times outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here,” said Zverev, who secured the year-end No. 1 ranking earlier this week.
“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the last couple of matches.”
Davidovich Fokina advances on retirement
Davidovich Fokina earned his semifinal spot when Arthur Gea retired while trailing 4-1 in the first set, after receiving on-court treatment.
“Sad to end the tournament like this, but I’ll be back,” Gea wrote on Instagram. The French player has had a breakout 2026, rising from 244th in the world to 56th. He won his first tour-level title at the Los Cabos Open in August.
Zverev holds a 6-1 career head-to-head record against Davidovich Fokina.
Friday’s quarterfinals
Friday’s quarterfinals feature fast-rising Spanish youngster Rafael Jódar against Casper Ruud. Fifth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev then plays Tommy Paul of the United States.