Zverev defies physical issues to beat Bublik, joins Gea in quarter-finals

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev toughed out two tie-breaks to beat Alexander Bublik 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 7-6 (7/1) at the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday, winning his first match since being guaranteed the year-end world number one ranking.

The 29-year-old German will play Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals.

“Really difficult match,” Zverev said. “I had some physical issues so, you know, I was maybe slower,” he told the crowd.

“My ankle was acting up unfortunately again,” Zverev elaborated in an on-court interview, without giving specifics.

“I’m starting to feel my body more, but happy to be through.”

Neither player could create much trouble for his opponent in the first set as they traded aces to hold serve. But Zverev found himself under pressure when he was forced to save a set point before making it into a tie-break.

He kept his composure as Bublik squandered three set points in a row, taking the first set with a commanding forehand at the net.

That momentum was cut short when Bublik broke the German’s serve in the fifth game of the second set. Despite a few clutch backhands a sombre-looking Zverev was unable to avoid tumbling into a deciding third.

The players soon found themselves staring down another tie-break, but this time Zverev raced to a 6-1 lead and closed out the match with an ace.

Earlier, 56th-ranked Arthur Gea put on a convincing show to beat Jakub Mensik 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their fourth-round encounter.

Mensik, ranked 15th, hit the ground trying to convert a crucial break point in the final minutes of the second set, but Gea got past his opponent with a cross-court backhand and won on his first match point.

Two days earlier the 21-year-old Frenchman beat US Open finalist Ben Shelton, the third seed, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3) in the third round for the biggest victory of his career.

Swiatek aims to end year on a positive note: Iga Swiatek has played at every edition of the WTA Finals since 2021, but with the Pole running out of time to claim a place at this year’s season-ending tournament she knows the importance of going deep at her few remaining events.

The six-time major champion has won only one tournament this year at the Canadian Open in August and failed to advance beyond the quarter-final stage at all four Grand Slams.

The 25-year-old, who won the WTA Finals in 2023, is 10th in the qualifying table for the November 8-15 tournament at Indian Wells with only four of the eight spots still up for grabs. She sits on 3,799 points, 111 behind Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in 9th place. Karolina Muchova, on 4,615 points, is the lowest-ranked player not to have sealed qualification.

“Obviously I’m aware of the situation and it would be great to get into the Finals, for sure it’s our goal,” Swiatek told reporters on Monday ahead of the Wuhan Open.

“It’s the first time I’ve faced a situation like that, to get into the finals.

“It’s a challenge, but I feel like it’s a positive one and I’m really motivated ... There are still a few tournaments ahead.” Swiatek said she had made some positive changes to her game under coach Francisco Roig, whom she appointed in April after parting ways with Wim Fissette.

“I needed to change some stuff, and Francisco has a really great idea for my game, and I feel like we’re developing my game on the practice court quite a lot, and it’s been good progress,” she added.

“The US Open swing, for sure, was the most positive part of the season, so that shows that I’m going in the right direction.”

Swiatek, who faces compatriot Magdalena Frech in her opening match in Wuhan on Wednesday, is also scheduled to compete at WTA 500 events in Ningbo and Tokyo before the WTA Finals slots are wrapped up.

Agencies