Shanghai, Oct 12:
Top seed Alexander Zverev survived a tough challenge from France’s Quentin Halys to reach the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters, winning 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-3. The German, who is chasing his 60th tour victory of the season, let two match points slip in the second-set tiebreak before regaining control in the decider.
Zverev did not concede a break-point opportunity in the third-round contest and broke Halys in the opening game of the final set to move closer to victory. Halys had saved two match points in the second-set tiebreak and forced a decider, but Zverev raised his level to seal the match. He will next face Alexander Bublik, who rallied to beat Brandon Nakashima 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Meanwhile, third-seeded American Ben Shelton was knocked out by France’s Arthur Gea, who won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in a major upset. Gea, 21, secured the biggest victory of his career by defeating the world No. 4 in two closely contested tiebreak sets. Shelton, who had reached the US Open final, struggled to find his rhythm and acknowledged that his opponent had played better. Seventh seed Francis Tiafoe also exited after losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in another tight three-set encounter. Zverev’s progress strengthens his hopes of finishing the season as the world’s top-ranked player, following Jannik Sinner’s decision to end his 2026 campaign because of a knee injury.