In a surprising turn of events at the Shanghai Masters on Monday, third seed Alexander Zverev was defeated by the 54th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech, with a final score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, in his initial tournament match.
Despite securing the first set and appearing dominant, Zverev, who was the highest-ranked participant remaining in that half of the draw, faltered significantly throughout the rest of the contest, failing to secure another service break. Rinderknech, however, capitalized by breaking Zverev`s serve once in the second set and twice in the deciding third set, concluding the match with a triumphant win after more than two hours of intense play.
This victory marks Rinderknech`s second over Zverev this year, having also triumphed in a five-set encounter during the first round of Wimbledon.
The 30-year-old Rinderknech has achieved a personal best of 23 victories in 2025, and this win advances him to the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament for the third time in his career.
His next opponent will be Jiri Lehecka, who secured his spot by efficiently beating Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4.
Other Key Matches and Tournament Updates
In an earlier match, seventh seed Alex De Minaur overcame Kamil Majchrzak with a score of 6-1, 7-5 amidst humid conditions. This impressive victory marks De Minaur`s 36th win on hard courts this season, establishing a record among tour players.
The 26-year-old De Minaur impressively broke Majchrzak`s serve five times, earning him a spot in his seventh Masters 1000 fourth round this season. Notably, two of these crucial breaks occurred after he conceded his own serve, falling behind 4-3 in the second set, demonstrating his resilience.
“I approached this week fully aware of how demanding the conditions would be,” De Minaur commented. “My primary focus is always on endurance, discovering solutions, and preparing for intense confrontations whenever I step onto the court. There are no straightforward matches, particularly under these circumstances. Therefore, I`m pleased I managed to regain my composure in the second set, recover the break, and clinch the win in two sets. A third set would have undoubtedly been extremely physically taxing.”
De Minaur is set to compete against Nuno Borges next, who advanced by defeating Shang Juncheng in a tough 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 match. Should De Minaur secure another victory, it would mark his first season achieving 50 tour-level wins.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, the 12th seed, secured a victory over Jesper de Jong with a 6-4, 7-5 score, converting three out of four break points. After a slip in the second set, a ball kid assisted Auger-Aliassime back to his feet. He boasts a strong 10-2 record in August, with his only losses this month coming from Jannik Sinner. Auger-Aliassime`s next challenge will be against eighth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, who triumphed over his compatriot Luciano Darderi 7-5, 7-6 (1).
Defending champion Jannik Sinner, however, was forced to retire from his Sunday match against Tallon Griekspoor due to cramps, with the score standing at 7-6 (3), 5-7, 2-3 in Griekspoor`s favor at the time of retirement.
Notably absent from the Shanghai tournament is top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who recently claimed victory at the Japan Open, opting out due to minor physical issues.
In another exciting match, American player Learner Tien emerged victorious over Cameron Norrie with a 7-6(4), 6-3 scoreline.
