Zverev reaches Shanghai semi-finals, Swiatek wins 150th WTA 1000 match

Top seed Alexander Zverev beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, while in Wuhan Iga Swiatek recorded the 150th WTA 1000 win of her career.

Zverev: “A huge step up”

Zverev, who will finish the year as world number one, was tested by the Australian’s speed in the first set but converted a break point in the fifth game with a string of forehands, Dawn reported, citing AFP. Despite a double fault, he saved three break points in a row and took the set in the 10th game with a backhand at the net.

He broke again in the seventh game of the second set when De Minaur served into the net, and closed out the match on his first match point.

“Good match for me,” said Zverev, 29. “Very satisfied with my level… it was a huge step up from the last couple of matches.”

He will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semi-finals.

Gea retires hurt

Davidovich Fokina advanced when France’s Arthur Gea retired with a muscle injury after 22 minutes of the biggest match of his career. The 21-year-old, ranked 56th, took a medical timeout while trailing 1-4.

“I felt this morning, during a warm-up, pain in the psoas,” he said, referring to a muscle in the lower back. “I tried from the beginning, but it was not enough to play full and too dangerous for the end of the season. I’m really sad, but it’s the best choice I could make.”

Swiatek’s milestone

Swiatek beat American lucky loser Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-4 to reach her second consecutive Wuhan Open quarter-final. Since the format was introduced in 1990, she is only the third player to win 150 matches from her first 50 main-draw appearances at this level, after Martina Hingis (162) and Serena Williams (153).

“I just wanted to focus on adjusting and being brave and, in the end, I’m happy that I was,” said the seventh seed, who needs a title this week to boost her chances of reaching next month’s WTA Finals. “For sure I feel like I am playing better than at the beginning of the season.”

She plays American Ann Li next.

Seeds tumble in Wuhan

• Out: top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula went out a day earlier, followed by sixth seed Karolina Muchova and 10th seed Iva Jovic
• Chwalinska: French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska beat Jovic 6-4, 6-1 and meets Maria Sakkari
• Shnaider: Diana Shnaider beat Muchova 7-5, 6-3 and plays Jelena Ostapenko
• Kartal: world number 170 Sonay Kartal crushed 15th seed Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-0
• Svitolina: Elina Svitolina ended Chinese wild card Guo Hanyu’s run 6-1, 6-4 and faces Kartal

Swiatek and Svitolina are the only top-10 seeds left in the draw.

Why it matters

Zverev is building form as he heads towards the year-end top spot, while Swiatek’s milestone puts her alongside two of the greatest players in women’s tennis. Read our report on Bergs’ upset of Alcaraz in Shanghai.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and AFP.