Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto, ranked 137th, beat former Shanghai finalist Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes on Court 3 on Friday, breaking twice and saving both break points he faced. The win sets up a third-round meeting with Alex de Minaur at the Shanghai Masters.
Shanghai, China: Sakamoto had to qualify just to reach the main draw, then beat Marco Trungelliti 6-3, 7-5 in the first round. Against Rublev, the world No. 23, he found another gear. The Russian had played the final here three years ago. He left the court having never found a way back into the match.
A break in the opening game
Sakamoto broke serve in the first game and spent the rest of the opening set protecting that lead. He closed it out 6-4 in 35 minutes. Across the whole match he faced two break points and saved both, which left Rublev with no route back into a contest he had trailed from the start.
The margins on serve
The serving numbers were close, and the gap that mattered sat on the second serve. Sakamoto won 77 per cent of his first-serve points and 62 per cent of his second-serve points. Rublev won 76 per cent and 56 per cent. One percentage point separated them on the first serve; six on the second did the damage.
Level at 4-4, then the decisive break
The second set stayed level until 4-4. Sakamoto then broke again to lead 5-4 and served for the match, finishing it 6-4 after 46 minutes in the set. For a player who came through qualifying, it was a composed finish against an opponent with 18 tour-level titles.
A finalist’s early exit
Rublev reached the Shanghai final in 2023, losing to Hubert Hurkacz, and made the last 32 in 2024. He has never won the event. His only title this year came at the Nordea Open. His exit adds to a Friday of upsets in Shanghai, where Adrian Mannarino also beat sixth seed Flavio Cobolli in three sets. Earlier in the week, Daniel Altmaier beat Holger Rune on the opening day of the tournament.
De Minaur awaits
Sakamoto now plays Alex de Minaur, who advanced to the third round on a walkover after Alex Molcan withdrew injured. The Australian’s fitness is the question. He retired with a left thigh injury in the China Open final against Novak Djokovic, and the walkover gave him extra days to recover. Their match is scheduled for Sunday, 11 October.
Result: Rei Sakamoto (Japan, Q) beat Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 in 1h 22m
Event: Rolex Shanghai Masters (ATP Masters 1000), second round
Next: Sakamoto v Alex de Minaur (Australia), third round
