De Minaur and Auger-Aliassime press forward in Shanghai
Amid the sticky humidity of the Shanghai Masters, two contenders for the Nitto ATP Finals grind out straight-sets wins, their focus sharpening as the year-end race intensifies on hard courts.
Under the heavy air of the Shanghai Masters, Alex de Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime turned potential pitfalls into progress, each securing a spot in the fourth round without losing a set. The seventh-seeded Australian dismantled Kamil Majchrzak 6-1, 7-5, while the 12th-seeded Canadian outlasted Jesper de Jong 6-4, 7-5, their victories a blend of relentless returns and steady serving in conditions that tested every fiber.
De Minaur rebounds from second-set wobble
De Minaur’s match against Majchrzak started with clinical efficiency, the Australian breaking serve early and often to race through the first set on the medium-paced hard courts. But humidity began to bite in the second, where he dropped serve to trail 3-4, only to immediately counter with two breaks of his own, mixing crosscourt backhands with inside-out forehands to reclaim control and wrap the one-hour, 27-minute affair.
This marked his seventh fourth-round appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 this season, boosting his Tour-leading 36th hard-court win of 2025 and solidifying seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The comeback highlighted his mental edge, turning a momentary lapse into a surge that kept his bid for a second straight Nitto ATP Finals berth firmly on track.
“I came into this week knowing how tough the conditions were going to be,” De Minaur said after the match. “So the mindset ultimately is surviving, finding ways, and getting ready for battles every time you step out on the court. There is no such thing as easy matches, especially in these conditions, so I’m glad I was able to compose myself in the second set, get the break back, and finish it off in two. If we had gone into a third, it would have been very physical.”
Mr. Consistent @alexdeminaur books his seventh ATP Masters 1000 fourth round of the season with a 6-1 7-5 win over Majchrzak. @SH_Masters | #ShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/uWgdE8yGe5 — ATP Tour (@atptour) October 6, 2025
Mr. Consistent @alexdeminaur books his seventh ATP Masters 1000 fourth round of the season with a 6-1 7-5 win over Majchrzak.@SH_Masters | #ShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/uWgdE8yGe5
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 6, 2025
Ahead waits Nuno Borges, who advanced by toppling home favorite Shang Juncheng 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, reaching this stage at a Masters 1000 for the fourth time overall and second on hard courts since Montreal 2024. In their first ATP Head2Head encounter, De Minaur could chase his 50th tour-level win of the season, leaning on his speed to probe Borges’s defense with down-the-line returns and varied pace.
Auger-Aliassime powers through return clinic
Auger-Aliassime dominated de Jong from the baseline, converting three of four break points while holding serve throughout, his deep returns setting up one–two combinations that pressured the Dutchman’s backhand. A slip in the second set briefly disrupted his flow, but a ball kid’s quick help allowed him to reset, maintaining 77 percent of first-serve points—30 out of 39—to dictate the tempo in the humid evening.
Now 10-2 since August, with both losses to Jannik Sinner, the Canadian sits 10th in the Live Race, just 580 points behind eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti as he eyes a return to the Nitto ATP Finals after his 2022 debut. His form on these hard courts, where the true bounce amplifies his forehand, has injected fresh momentum into a season of steady climbs, the crowd’s murmurs adding to the electric undercurrent.
Next comes a test against either eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti or 26th seed Luciano Darderi, a matchup where Auger-Aliassime’s serve could open angles for inside-in forehands, potentially vaulting him toward the quarterfinals and tightening the race for Turin.
Turin chase sharpens Shanghai intensity
For both players, these advances in Shanghai carry the weight of qualification math, each point a step closer to the elite eight at the Nitto ATP Finals. De Minaur’s consistency contrasts with the physical drain of the conditions, his retrieval game a weapon that forces errors in extended rallies, while Auger-Aliassime blends power with precision to exploit weaknesses.
The tournament’s atmosphere pulses with international energy, fans tracking every shift as the hard courts reward those who adapt—deeper returns against big serves, occasional slice to vary rhythm. As they push deeper, their paths promise tactical battles that could define the back end of 2025, keeping the year-end spotlight in sight amid the growing stakes.
