Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime progressed to the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters by defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday. Auger-Aliassime, the 12th seed from Montreal, sealed the victory with back-to-back aces after an hour and 25 minutes of play on the hard court. This win leveled his head-to-head record against Musetti at four wins each and halted the Italian’s two-match winning streak, which included victories at the 2024 Paris Olympics and this year’s Miami Masters.
In the upcoming quarterfinal match, the 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime is set to face France’s Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech defeated the 15th seed, Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (5). Auger-Aliassime has previously triumphed over Rinderknech in both of their encounters earlier this season in Cincinnati and Mallorca.
Auger-Aliassime concluded the match with six aces compared to Musetti’s three, only committing one double fault. He also excelled in winning 76% of his first-serve points, outperforming Musetti’s 59%. Auger-Aliassime capitalized on three out of six break opportunities and did not face any break points.
Following Gabriel Diallo’s defeat to Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the Round of 16, Auger-Aliassime remains the sole Canadian contender in Shanghai. In other matches, seventh-seeded Alex De Minaur of Australia secured his spot in the next round by defeating Portugal’s Nuno Borges with a score of 7-5, 6-2. De Minaur is now poised to face either American Learner Tien or Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
Moving on to the Wuhan Open, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka overcame a tough challenge from unseeded Rebecca Sramkova to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Sabalenka, the defending champion, boasts an impressive record in Wuhan, having won titles in 2018, 2019, and 2024 with an undefeated streak of 18 matches.
Sabalenka broke her opponent in the opening game of the final set and clinched victory after almost two hours of intense play. In her post-match interview, Sabalenka expressed satisfaction with her performance, highlighting her ability to regain momentum in the second set.
Sabalenka will next face No. 16 seed Liudmila Samsonova, who staged a comeback to defeat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. The action continues at the Wuhan Open as the tournament progresses.