Montreal’s rising tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime faced a disappointing exit from the Shanghai Masters, bowing out in the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against France’s Arthur Rinderknech on Friday. Despite Auger-Aliassime’s strong performance with eight aces, he struggled with three double faults, all occurring in the initial set.
Rinderknech, currently ranked 54th globally, showcased an impressive first-serve dominance, winning 83% of points in contrast to Auger-Aliassime’s 64%. The French player managed to break Auger-Aliassime’s serve once in each set and successfully defended all three break points he faced. This marked Rinderknech’s third consecutive victory over a top-20 opponent in Shanghai, with the match wrapping up in one hour and 28 minutes.
In another tennis event in China, Bianca Andreescu from Mississauga, Ont., paired with Yue Yuan of China, were eliminated in the women’s doubles quarterfinals at the Wuhan Open after a 6-4, 7-6 (1) defeat to Aleksandra Krunic and Anna Danilina. Meanwhile, the upcoming semifinal at the Shanghai Masters will feature Novak Djokovic from Serbia taking on Valentin Vacherot from Monaco.
Over at the Wuhan Open, Aryna Sabalenka extended her remarkable winning streak to 20 matches by securing a 6-3, 6-3 victory over the eighth-seeded Elena Rybakina in the WTA 1000-level tournament semifinals. The reigning U.S. Open champion, Sabalenka, claimed the Wuhan Open title consecutively in 2018, 2019, and on her return last year to the Chinese city.
Sabalenka’s triumph included breaking Rybakina’s serve three times during the 1-hour and 25-minute match, propelling her into the semifinals for the 11th time this season. The Belarusian tennis star expressed her respect for Rybakina in her post-match interview, highlighting their competitive history. Sabalenka is set to face off against Jessica Pegula in the next round, with Pegula securing a hard-fought 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory against Katerina Siniakova earlier. In the remaining quarterfinal matches, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff were also in contention for a spot in the semifinals.