Tennis-Medvedev in Shanghai semis as Rinderknech joins cousin Vacherot in last four

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SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) -A cramping Daniil Medvedev battled through physical discomfort and marathon rallies to defeat Alex de Minaur 6-4 6-4 on Friday, reaching the Shanghai Masters semi-finals for the first time since his 2019 title triumph.

Medvedev’s victory over the Australian seventh seed marks a milestone 50th career top-10 win for the former U.S. Open champion and sets up a last-four clash with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.

The match between Medvedev and De Minaur showcased two of tennis’s flattest hitters engaged in gruelling baseline exchanges, with some rallies exceeding 20 shots, before the Russian prevailed in just under two hours despite cramps.

MEDVEDEV BATTLES INTO SEMI-FINALS

“I was super tired I knew that against Alex we were going to have long points. I think in the third or fourth game, we had a couple and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s going to be a long day,'” 16th seed Medvedev said.

“But I’m happy with the way I played. I was really clutch in important moments. I was hitting the ball great. I was putting him under pressure many times. And in the second set … I managed to really bring the best of me in the last two games.”

The victory extends Medvedev’s strong Asian swing form, having reached the semi-finals of the China Open — where he retired with cramps — before arriving in Shanghai.

De Minaur failed to capitalise on break points in the opening set as Medvedev found his rhythm with net approaches and pinpoint accuracy to all corners of the court.

At 5-4, the Australian saved two set points but could not prevent Medvedev from claiming the opener with a thunderous cross-court forehand volley that drew roars from the crowd.

The pair were neck-and-neck in the second set until Medvedev pounced at 4-4, firing a winner down the line before the Russian immediately called for a trainer to massage his legs as he suffered a bout of cramps.

However, undeterred by the discomfort, he served for the match and wrapped up the contest with an ace to reach his 50th hard-court semi-final.

RINDERKNECH UPSETS AUGER-ALIASSIME

Earlier, Rinderknech produced a commanding performance to upset Canadian 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-4, joining his cousin Valentin Vacherot in the semis.

Rinderknech’s win came a day after Vacherot, ranked 204th in the world, shocked Danish 10th seed Holger Rune to become the second-lowest ranked player ever to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

Their fairytale run has set the stage for a potential family showdown, though four-times Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic looms large in Vacherot’s path.

“First of all, I follow my cousin. He’s going through the emotions, and I’m trying to battle to follow and do as good as him,” Rinderknech said, as Vacherot cheered him from the stands.

“It’s been incredible since the beginning of the week, the whole family following from home. We are in our little world of our own.

“It’s been incredible, it’s been unreal. It’s been a good performance from myself – happy to get the win, two sets so I can be not too tired for tomorrow.”

The 30-year-old Rinderknech also made history as the oldest first-time ATP Masters 1000 semi-finalist since German Jan-Lennard Struff achieved the feat in Madrid in 2023.

Ranked 54th, Rinderknech is set to break into the top 40 for the first time when the latest ATP rankings are released on Monday.

(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)