In the Shanghai Masters, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada secured a spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Lorenzo Musetti from Italy with a score of 6-4, 6-2. The match, lasting an hour and 25 minutes on hard court, concluded with Auger-Aliassime firing consecutive aces. This victory leveled their head-to-head record at four wins apiece and halted Musetti’s recent winning streak from the 2024 Paris Olympics and this year’s Miami Masters.
Auger-Aliassime, aged 25, is set to face Arthur Rinderknech of France in the upcoming quarterfinals. Rinderknech emerged victorious over Jiri Lehecka from the Czech Republic with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (5). The Canadian has previously defeated Rinderknech in matches earlier this season at Cincinnati and Mallorca.
Auger-Aliassime’s performance included six aces compared to Musetti’s three, with just one double fault. He dominated the first-serve points, winning 76% against Musetti’s 59%. Auger-Aliassime capitalized on three out of six break opportunities and maintained his serve throughout the match.
Following Gabriel Diallo’s defeat in the Round of 16, Auger-Aliassime stands as the sole Canadian contender in Shanghai. In another match, Alex De Minaur of Australia, seeded seventh, progressed with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Nuno Borges from Portugal, setting up a future match against either Learner Tien from the U.S. or Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
At the Wuhan Open, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka faced initial resistance but ultimately triumphed over Rebecca Sramkova with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Sabalenka, the defending champion, showcased her dominance in Wuhan with an unbeaten record of 18-0 and previous titles in 2018, 2019, and 2024.
Sabalenka’s next challenge will be against Liudmila Samsonova, the No. 16 seed, who staged a comeback victory against Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion. Sramkova managed to break Sabalenka twice in the opening set before Sabalenka’s resilient performance in the subsequent sets.
Coco Gauff, ranked third, advanced to the next round with ease, defeating Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-0 in just 51 minutes. Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka, seeded eleventh, suffered an upset at the hands of Linda Noskova, ranked 17th, with a score of 7-6 (2), 6-3. Noskova will proceed to face the winner between Jaqueline Cristian and Elena Rybakina.