Alexander Zverev has been knocked out of the Shanghai Masters by Arthur Rinderknech, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Rinderknech has earned the third top-ten win of his career, and his second against Zverev, having defeated him at Wimbledon earlier this year.
The Frenchman also picked up his first top-five victory at an ATP Masters 1000 event and will now face Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round.
After his triumph, Rinderknech admitted he was ‘lucky’ against Zverev when giving his immediate reaction.
Arthur Rinderknech reacts to beating Alexander Zverev again
In his on-court interview, the 30-year-old said: “It’s huge. I had my top five win in a Grand Slam against Sascha at Wimbledon, so it’s happened again.
“I guess I am a little bit lucky against him and able to play my best tennis, because of course I need to play my very best tennis to beat a guy like Sascha, who is number three for many, many years. He is such a steady player and a very good player.
“It wasn’t great in the first set. I was trying to be offensive. I was rushing too much, and he was really solid. We know how solid he is, so I was missing too much and not finding my serve.
“I was able to do it better in the second and third sets, so it was a bit more specific, and I was able to finish with my volleys.”
Giving his thoughts on the tricky conditions, he said: “It is tough for everybody. 50% of the matches are not finishing, and 50% of the matches are finishing with guys with cramps or overheating.
“We are using an incredible amount of shirts for every match. Thankfully, the laundry here is working well!”
Arthur Rinderknech becomes first to achieve ATP feat since 1990
With his win against Zverev, Rinderknech is now the first player ranked outside the top 50 to defeat the same top three opponent at a Grand Slam and an ATP Masters 1000 event in the same season.
The world number 54’s bout with the German at Wimbledon was a five-set marathon that lasted nearly five hours.
Their clash in Shanghai went over two hours, and once again went the way of Rinderknech, who leads Zverev 2-0 in their head-to-head.
Novak Djokovic is now the only top-five player remaining in the draw, with the Serb now handed a favourable path to a 41st Masters title.
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