Marozsan’s surge topples Wawrinka under Shanghai lights

Under the glare of Qizhong Forest’s floodlights, Fabian Marozsan dismantled Stan Wawrinka with a blend of unyielding serves and probing groundstrokes, claiming a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory that marked his 24th tour-level win of the season. The 25-year-old Hungarian, riding a wave of momentum from 23 triumphs in 2024, turned the ATP Masters 1000 opener into a statement of arrival, his first serve holding firm at 83 per cent efficiency to stifle the 40-year-old Swiss wildcard’s bid for history as the oldest Masters 1000 match-winner since 1990. As the decider unfolded, Marozsan’s inside-out forehands carved angles that exposed Wawrinka’s one-handed backhand, the crowd’s murmurs shifting from nostalgia to surprise with each escalating rally.

Serves dictate the dawn of ambition

Marozsan’s delivery emerged as the match’s quiet architect, skidding low on the plexicushion to jam returns and open the court for one–two combinations that pulled Wawrinka wide before down-the-line finishes. Infosys ATP Stats captured how this precision—landing 83 per cent of first balls—allowed the Hungarian to dictate tempo, blending flat strikes with occasional kick serves that exploited the surface’s medium pace. He sealed the upset on his third match point, a crosscourt backhand winner that silenced the humid night, evoking his quarter-final run here in 2023 and last week’s Beijing quarter-final loss to Jannik Sinner. That Munich ATP 500 semi-final earlier this year had sharpened his transitions from clay to hard, and now, facing Taylor Fritz in the second round, Marozsan must sustain this edge against the American’s booming serve, where fatigue could test the mental fortitude built over a relentless calendar. Wawrinka’s second-set resurgence, fueled by looping topspin forehands that climbed high off the bounce, briefly reclaimed equilibrium, his experience weaving through the pressure like a veteran navigator in choppy waters. Yet the Swiss’s efforts, aimed at etching a late-career milestone, faltered against the younger player’s composure, the decider’s tension amplifying the emotional stakes of a twilight push against rising tides.

Veterans reclaim ground amid hard-court grit

Adrian Mannarino threaded a tactical path past Matteo Berrettini in a 7-5, 7-6(5) duel, his lefty slice backhands underspinning low to disrupt the Italian’s power game and force errors in the tiebreak’s clutch moments. The Frenchman’s recent hard-court revival—fourth rounds at the US Open and Cincinnati—shone through in probing returns that neutralized booming serves, his angles bending the baseline rallies to his will under the arena’s pulsing energy. Next, Francisco Cerundolo looms as a baseline warrior whose topspin could clash with Mannarino’s defensive craft, a matchup promising extended exchanges where endurance might tip the scales. Marin Cilic shattered a six-match losing streak tracing back to Wimbledon, downing Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 7-6(5) with inside-in forehands that exploited the Georgian’s backhand and a serve averaging 130 mph for bite on the gripping surface. The 2017 Shanghai semi-finalist rediscovered his roar, breaking early and holding in the tiebreak amid relieved crowd applause that echoed his past glories in this venue. Though Novak Djokovic awaits with a 19-2 head-to-head edge, Cilic’s renewed aggression hints at a spark that could unsettle the Serb’s rhythm, targeting body returns to counter crosscourt flows on this unforgiving deck.

Underdogs ignite sparks in three-set fires

Sebastian Baez reversed an early deficit against home favorite Zhang Zhizhen, rallying to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win by accelerating topspin loops that drew the Chinese player off the baseline before down-the-line strikes landed with precision. Zhang’s 2023 fourth-round depth—the best by a Chinese man here—faded under the weight of local expectations, Baez’s clay-bred patience translating to hard-court poise that absorbed the crowd’s fervor. Meanwhile, David Goffin dismantled Alexandre Muller after a 6-7(6) tiebreak stumble, surging 6-1, 6-1 with drop shots and underspin slices that died abruptly on the plexicushion, rediscovering form in a display of quiet dominance. Zizou Bergs outlasted Sebastian Korda 6-4, 7-5 in a serving contest, his flat backhand returns pressuring second deliveries to tilt the momentum on Shanghai’s quicker conditions. Daniel Altmaier dispatched Tristan Schoolkate 6-3, 6-4 with consistent depth, earning a daunting second-round date with Sinner where varying heights will be key to countering the Italian’s flat power amid escalating spotlights. Jordan Thompson grinded past qualifier August Holmgren 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, ramping up serve-volley rushes that capitalized on low bounces for sharp volleys, injecting urgency into his campaign. Jaume Munar clawed from a set down to topple Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, his inside-in forehands bending trajectories under pressure to turn defensive stands into offensive surges. Luca Nardi similarly battled past Sebastian Ofner 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, youthful energy flipping lulls into aggressive forehand barrages that tested the Austrian’s resolve. As these advances ripple through the draw, Shanghai’s opening salvos foreshadow a tournament where tactical adaptations and emotional resilience could propel underdogs toward unexpected horizons, one resilient point at a time.