Daniil Medvedev beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-5 in 84 minutes to reach the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals. The fifth seed did not face a single break point, extending his head-to-head lead over the Greek to 11-5, and will next meet Tommy Paul.
Shanghai, China: Eight months after Tsitsipas beat him in Doha, Medvedev returned the favour in the Shanghai fourth round with a performance built on his serve. The 30-year-old Russian, a former champion in the city, gave his opponent no way into the match and moved into the last eight on Wednesday.
A serve that never blinked
Medvedev’s numbers told the story. He faced no break point in an hour and 24 minutes, and he made only 10 unforced errors to Tsitsipas’s 18. The first set went to the Russian 6-4, and he kept the match on his terms from there. It was a calm, controlled display from a player whose month had been anything but calm.
The break that settled the second set
Tsitsipas pushed back in the second set, and the sides stayed level deep into it. At 5-5, Medvedev broke to lead 6-5 and closed it out. Afterwards he described the set as tight and said he was pleased with his returning and his rhythm, adding that he felt he had played very well. On a day when he never had to defend a break point, that single break of serve was all he needed.
A change of mood in China
The win lifted Medvedev to 11 victories in 16 meetings with Tsitsipas, who had won their only previous meeting of 2026, in Doha in February. It also marked a change of mood from earlier this month, when Medvedev was defaulted from his China Open semi-final after a ball he hit towards the crowd struck a spectator. Tsitsipas, for his part, had reached the fourth round by beating Taylor Fritz in three sets in a bizarre finish to their third-round match.
Paul next, and a crowded last eight
Medvedev’s quarter-final opponent is the 15th seed Tommy Paul, who beat Zizou Bergs 7-6(5), 6-4 on the same day. Rafael Jódar earned his place by rallying from a set down against Botic van de Zandschulp, and Casper Ruud advanced when Felix Auger-Aliassime retired with a knee injury. The other quarter-finals pair Alexander Zverev with Alex de Minaur, and Arthur Gea with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, with play beginning on Thursday.
Result: Daniil Medvedev (5) bt Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-5 (1h 24m), Shanghai Masters (ATP Masters 1000), fourth round, Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
Next: Medvedev v Tommy Paul (15) in the quarter-finals.
