Novak Djokovic is now the title favorite in Shanghai and he will continue his campaign in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Djokovic will face Zizou Bergs, while Holger Rune will face Valentin Vacherot.
Zizou Bergs vs. (4) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic and Bergs will face each other for the first time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the semi-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Thursday. Djokovic is already a four-time champion of this tournament and returns to the last eight after beating Marin Cilic, Yannick Hanfmann and Jaume Munar. The 38-year-old dropped sets against both Hanfmann and Munar, but he was in control for the most part, save for some ridiculous theatrics against Munar on Tuesday.
Bergs had never advanced past the third round of a Masters 1000 event and had advanced past the second round only once (this year’s Miami). The 44th-ranked Belgian’s breakthrough in Shanghai came at the expense of Sebastian Korda, Casper Ruud (via retirement in the third set), Francisco Cerundolo and Gabriel Diallo (in a third-set tiebreak after saving two match points). Unfortunately for Bergs, Djokovic is playing well and should be inspired to end his three-set match streak and get off the court faster.
Choice: Djokovic in 2
(10) Holger Rune vs. (Q) Valentin Vacherot
Vacherot is ranked 204 in the world and has never been in the top 100, but he is unlikely to find himself in the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters. It was a dream week for the 26-year-old, who qualified for the main draw and has since dismissed Laslo Djere, Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac and Tallon Greekpoor. Vacherot had won just one Masters 1000 main draw match in his entire career, including none outside his native Monaco (Monte-Carlo).
Next up is a very first meeting with Rune, who clearly has much more experience on this stage, even though he is only 22 years old. The 11th-ranked Dane was the 2022 Paris Masters champion and is also a three-time runner-up in the Masters 1000, most recently in Indian Wells this season. Rune has reached the quarter-finals of Shanghai for the first time in his career thanks to victories over Sebastian Baez, Ugo Humbert and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The No. 10 seed has taken down two big servers in a row and shouldn’t have too much trouble doing the same against Vacherot.
Choice: Rune in 2
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