SHANGHAI: World number one Jannik Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev in the Shanghai Masters quarter-finals, after both had straight sets victories on Wednesday.
Sinner put some old demons to rest in overcoming American Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), while Medvedev took out Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
Shelton, ranked 16, knocked Sinner out at the same stage last year, but on Wednesday the Italian looked confident from the start as he won in 88 minutes.
The US Open champion pulled ahead in the ninth game of the first set, breaking when Shelton hit long, then dominated the second set tiebreak.
“It was very tough, you don’t have so much control when you play against him... I just tried to stay strong mentally,” said Sinner.
World number five Medvedev and Tsitsipas were meeting for the 14th time.
Tsitsipas started the second set strongly, breaking in the first game, but Medvedev broke in the fourth and eighth to progress.
Medvedev and Sinner have met four times this year already in the final stages of tournaments.
Sinner beat Medvedev in the semifinals at Miami, the quarter-finals at the US Open and in the Australian Open final, but the Russian ended the Italian’s hopes in the last eight at Wimbledon in an epic five-set battle.
Also in action on Wednesday are world number two Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in the China Open final a week ago, four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic and world number three Alexander Zverev.
Top tennis player Sinner to face Medvedev in Shanghai Masters quarter-finals
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Top tennis player Sinner to face Medvedev in Shanghai Masters quarter-finals
- Jannik Sinner put some old demons to rest in overcoming American Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6 (7/1)
- Medvedev and Sinner have met four times this year already in the final stages of tournaments
Arbeloa backs five Real Madrid stars he ‘always’ wants playing
- Los Blancos have sometimes struggled for balance when too many of their attacking talents play together
- “I always want to have the best players on the pitch, and the more minutes they can be available to the team for me, the better,” Arbeloa said
MADRID: Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa insisted Saturday he would stand by the team’s star players and give them as many minutes as possible, despite debate over whether the team can function effectively with them all on the pitch.
Los Blancos, who were beaten at Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday to drop into the play-off round, have sometimes struggled for balance when too many of their attacking talents play together.
Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior have completed each of the last four games for Arbeloa, along with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, while midfielder Fede Valverde started all four and been substituted once.
“I always want to have the best players on the pitch, and the more minutes they can be available to the team for me, the better,” Arbeloa told a news conference, when asked if those five players were “untouchable.”
“These are players who can shake up a match at any moment. There will be people who aren’t Madrid fans who don’t want them on the pitch, but I imagine Madrid supporters want their best players always available, always on the field.
“I think the five players mentioned are among the top ten in the world, and so they have my full trust. And it’s not just my trust — their performance is what’s putting them on the pitch.”
Real Madrid host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in La Liga, looking to bounce back from the defeat by Benfica and put pressure on leaders Barcelona.
French superstar Mbappe criticized the team for their inconsistency and Arbeloa said Madrid are working on solving that issue.
“Look, we’re working to find the consistency we want in our game and at all levels, and I think right now it’s neither a time for disappointment nor a time for euphoria,” said Arbeloa.
“It’s a time for work, nothing more.”
