| October 10, 2024 | by Vivienne Christie |
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Tomas Machac doesn't quite have the title count that 16-time champion Carlos Alcaraz has accumulated. Nor can he match the Spaniard's Grand Slam record or former world No.1 ranking.
But the world No.33 Czech does own some blazing groundstrokes and a bold competitive spirit.
The 23-year-old combined those qualities superbly as he stunned the world No.2 in the Rolex Shanghai Masters quarterfinals on Thursday. The 7-6(5) 7-5 victory over Alcaraz, secured in an hour and 54 minutes, was the second top-five victory of Machac's career.
It sets a tantalising ATP Masters 1000 semifinal against world No.1 Jannik Sinner, who eased past No.5 Daniil Medvedev in the earlier quarterfinal contested at Qi Zhong Tennis Centre on Thursday.
It will be a first Shanghai semifinal appearance for each man.
Machac was simply fearless as he ended Alcaraz's run of 12 straight match wins, sticking firmly to his game plan as he managed every challenge the recent Beijing champion presented.
The Czech navigated the only break points in the first set, saving one in the third game and another in the ninth. He took a 5-2 lead in the ensuing tiebreak and while Alcaraz kept pushing, he couldn't quite diminish Machac's advantage.
Machac rode that momentum to an early second-set service break. Even after Alcaraz levelled for 3-3, the Czech stayed committed to his aggressive tennis. "I was not even upset because I knew that I did not do anything wrong, and just try to play my game," he said.
A brilliant backhand pass provided a second service break, and the opportunity to serve for the match. Machac did so flawlessly as he held serve to love, completing his victory with a forehand winner at the net.
"I was playing unbelievable from the beginning until the end," said Machac, thrilled with the form he'd maintained from his three-set win over Tommy Paul in his previous match.
"I was just trying to continue in this way, and it happened from the beginning of the match, so that was the key, for sure, and my strategy tonight."
Earlier, Jannik Sinner underlined his world No.1 credentials as he eased past No.5 Daniil Medvedev. The 6-1 6-4 victory was Sinner's seventh win over Medvedev in their past eight matches, and the fourth time he has beaten him this year.
Sinner's authority was clear from the outset, as he claimed an early service break that he soon extended to a 5-1 lead. Drawing on his reliable groundstrokes and some deftly placed dropshots, the Italian's serve was especially impressive on serve.
Dropping just three points on serve in total, he secured the 26-minute opening set with consecutive aces.
With a shoulder problem requiring treatment, Medvedev couldn't quite bring his best tennis - although even that may not have troubled the in-form Italian. Sinner finished with 26 winners, compared to just 20 errors, for the afternoon.
"It was a great match for my side," said Sinner. "I felt like he had some shoulder problems today, and I think we all could see, so he didn't play at his best, especially with the forehand, but, you know, this can happen.
"I took advantage of that today. I felt like I was playing some good tennis, especially the first set, trying to keep going in the second set, and, yeah, it was a good performance from my side."
The straight-sets victory was Sinner's 63rd match win his season, although he insists he's not paying attention to those tour-leading numbers.
"I try to play every tournament with a good mentality," he commented. "Obviously I feel that the season I'm playing is very, very good season, it's a high-quality season, and I try to keep going."
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