Daniil Medvedev and Tommy Paul both sense opportunity.
Playing some of their best tennis of the year coming into the Rolex Shanghai Masters quarter-finals, both players should feel good about their chances of contending for the title.
But only one will advance to the semi-finals after they clash inside Qi Zhong Stadium Friday from 6 p.m. local.
Medvedev leads the series 4-1 and has won all three hard-court meetings. He has been in sizzling form during the Chinese swing, winning Hangzhou and reaching the Beijing semi-finals. He has 44 wins on the season and is on pace to reach the 50-wins milestone for the first time since 2023.
Asked if the rest of the field should be wary of his form, the 2019 Shanghai champion said, “When you get in the quarters of a Masters, everyone should be afraid of everyone. Bergs beat Alcaraz, Paul beat Vacherot, the defending champion, and I guess I'm playing them.
“So, they are playing great as well, but just trying to play my best level. When I'm playing my best level, I know that I'm tough to beat.”
Paul, with 42 wins on the year, is in good shape to eclipse his personal-best 45 wins in 2024. The World No. 18 American has been in blistering form this week, dropping just six games against defending champion Valentin Vacherot and then ousting last year’s quarter-finals Zizou Bergs, who upset Carlos Alcaraz in the third round.
“With Medvedev, we've had some good matches and some bad matches,” Paul said.
“I think he's a guy that you have to come in with a game plan, and it has to be a good game plan, because he's not going to miss many balls, and he's going to make you earn every single point. I'm going to have to come with the mindset to be out there all day, and also really execute my game plan.”
Fast-rising Spaniard Rafael Jodar will attempt to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in his past three outings at this level [Cincinnati] when he meets former World No. 2 Casper Ruud for the first time.
Jodar has rallied from a set down in all three victories here this week.
“I'm very proud of my fight and the spirit of fighting always, and super happy to be in the quarter-finals here for the first time in Shanghai,” he said.
Jodar, 20, is also 11th in the PIF ATP Race to Turin, just two places outside this year’s qualifying cut of nine. [Jannik Sinner is out for the rest of the season.]
World No. 24 Ruud can move back inside the Top 15 with a title. His lone ATP Masters 1000 triumph came in Madrid last year.
Looking ahead to his first meeting with Jodar, Ruud said, “We are both in the same situation, I didn't play him, he didn't play me. I'm sure it will be a good match if we both play well.
“We were just teammates in the Laver Cup team, so we had some practices together. He's a very young guy, one of the younger guys on tour. The year he's had has been unbelievable to watch from the outside, and now I have a chance to play him, so I'm excited.”
Doubles Quarter-finals
Eighth-seeded French duo Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti take on Portugal’s Francisco Cabral and American JJ Tracy in the doubles quarter-final, which begins the day session at 12 noon local. It will be their first meeting.
Arribage and Olivetti upset third-seed Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the quarter-finals.
