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Shanghai Masters Semifinals Preview: Zverev and Medvedev Take On the Underdogs

The Shanghai Masters semifinals deliver a clash of experience and potential, with two contrasting matchups set for Saturday. Alexander Zverev, the newly crowned year-end ATP No.

1, faces a long-shot challenge from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced after Arthur Gea’s retirement in their quarterfinal. Zverev, aiming for his first Masters 1000 title of the season, enters with a commanding 6-1 record against Fokina and a dominant season thus far, including a quarterfinal win over Alex de Minaur.

Meanwhile, Fokina’s run to the semifinals—marked by upsets over Frances Tiafoe and Hubert Hurkacz—has defied expectations, though he’ll need a breakthrough to trouble the reigning top seed in Shanghai for the third time in his career, his first semifinal appearance since 2019.

In the second half, Daniil Medvedev, the sole former champion remaining in the draw, seeks redemption against Rafael Jodar, the youngest semifinalist in tournament history at just 20 years old. Medvedev, riding an 11-1 Asian swing and a quarterfinal victory over Tommy Paul, holds a slight edge in head-to-heads and seeding, but Jodar has already proven his ability to thrive under pressure, reaching five tour-level semifinals this year.

For both players, the stakes extend beyond Shanghai: Jodar and Medvedev are locked in the final qualifying spot for the ATP Finals, with Jodar currently ninth in the race. A win would propel either into Paris, while Zverev’s path to a title would cap a historic season and set the tone for the year’s final stretch.

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