Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas both exacted sweet revenge at the Shanghai Masters on Friday, defeating familiar rivals in straight sets to advance to the third round. World number five Medvedev overcame Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-5, 7-5, coming from behind in both sets. This victory was significant, as Seyboth Wild had knocked Medvedev out of the 2023 French Open in the first round. Despite an early lead from the Brazilian, Medvedev fought back to take control and win the match.
Tsitsipas, who suffered a surprising defeat to Japan’s Kei Nishikori in Montreal in August, also claimed a hard-fought victory, winning 7-6 (8/6), 6-4. The Greek player, now ranked 12th in the world, expressed satisfaction with his resilience and fighting spirit during the match. After a tense first set that ended in a close tiebreak, Tsitsipas gained confidence and dominated the second set to secure the win, despite Nishikori requiring a medical time-out.
There was an upset later in the day, as world number nine Casper Ruud was beaten in straight sets by Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic. Vukic, ranked 91st, expressed pride in his performance and sticking to his game plan. Meanwhile, Americans Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul both advanced comfortably to the third round, and Frenchman Gael Monfils set up a match with compatriot Ugo Humbert after defeating Argentina’s Sebastian Baez.
