Chinese wild card Zhou Yi, ranked 277th, beat former world No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(1) in two hours and 28 minutes at the Shanghai Masters on Friday, reaching a Masters 1000 third round for the first time and setting up a meeting with Hubert Hurkacz.
Shanghai, China: Zhou Yi is 21, a wild card, and ranked 277th in the world. On Friday night he reached the last 32 of a Masters 1000 event for the first time, and he got there the hard way, over two hours and 28 minutes, against Lorenzo Musetti, the 24th seed and a former world No. 5, with the crowd firmly behind him.
A tie-break to open, a set to Musetti
The first set went to a tie-break, and Zhou won it 7-6(7), edging a close contest. Musetti responded by taking the second set 6-3, levelling the match and shifting the momentum his way. At one set apiece, the Italian looked the more likely winner.
Zhou had other ideas. He served 14 aces across the match and saved four of the five break points he faced, according to ATP statistics.
Musetti’s missed chances
The decider stayed on serve. Musetti did not lose a service game all match, but he could not break Zhou either, even after earning three consecutive break chances in the third set and converting none of them. The set went to a tie-break, and there Zhou took control and won it 7-1.
Zhou described it as an amazing win and one of the toughest matches he has played, according to the ATP.
A record-book run in Shanghai
The result carries weight beyond one match. Zhou is the third-lowest-ranked player to reach the third round in the history of the Shanghai Masters. In the first round he beat Mattia Bellucci, again by winning a final-set tie-break.
It was one upset among several on a busy day in Shanghai. Hubert Hurkacz beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets, and qualifier Rei Sakamoto stunned Andrey Rublev.
Hurkacz next
Zhou now meets Hurkacz, the man who ended Djokovic’s tournament, in the third round. It will be the first time the two have played each other on the ATP Tour. For a wild card ranked 277th, the draw has opened up in an unexpected way.
Result: Zhou Yi (China, WC) beat Lorenzo Musetti (Italy, 24) 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(1) in 2h 28m.
Event: Rolex Shanghai Masters (ATP Masters 1000), second round, Friday 9 October 2026.
Next: Zhou Yi v Hubert Hurkacz, third round.
