Danil Medvedev beat Alex De Minaur 6-4 6-4 in 1 hour and 53 minutes to reach his second Masters 1000 semifinal of the season at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Medvedev scored the 50th top 10 win of his career.
Medvedev, who triumphed in Shanghai in 2019, has reached 50 tour-level semi-finals on hard courts and claimed 18 of his 20 titles coming on the surface.
Medvedev won 12 points than De Minaur and hit 27 winners to 25 unforced errors. He saved all six break points and converted two of his six break points on the return.
Medvedev broke at love in the fifth game of the first set. The Russian player saved two break points in the sixth game to hold for 4-2. De Minaur saved a break point in the seventh game with a service winner for 3-4. Medvedev saved two break points in the eighth game to hold serve with a backhand down the line for 5-3. De Minaur held serve after deuces in the ninth game with a service winner.
Medvedev saved a break point with a serve as he was serving for the opening set at 5-4 and converted his third set point with a serve and volley in the 10th game after 1 hour.
De Minaur saved two break points in the first game of the second set. Both players held on their serve in the next six games.
Medvedev fended off a break point in the eighth game with a service winner to hold serve after a forehand error from De Minaur.
Medvedev fired a forehand down the line winner in the ninth game and converted his second opportunity with a backhand down the line winner. Medvedev served for the match at 5-4 and earned two match points with a service winner. He hit an ace on his first match point to reach the semifinal.
Medvedev is aiming to win his first title since Rome 2023. He will take on Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the semifinal.
Danil Medvedev: “I was super tired and I knew against Alex, like against Learner, we would have long points. I think in the third or fourth game we had a couple and I thought it was going to be a long day, but I am happy with the way I played,” Medvedev said. “I was really clutch in the important moments and hitting the ball great and putting him under pressure. The second set was tight but I found the best at the end. I am really happy with the level.”
