Jannik Sinner is preparing to face Daniil Medvedev in a quarter-final for the second time in the last month after their US Open clash.
The world number one has resumed control after a hiccup in the Beijing final where he fell for the third time this year to Carlos Alcaraz.
Searching for his seventh ATP title of the year, Jannik Sinner avenged Ben Shelton in straight sets after the American defeated him at the same stage in Shanghai last year.
Despite Shelton making 95% of his first serves in the opening set of their fourth-round rematch, Sinner decisively broke to steal it 6-4.
The Italian then upped the stakes in the second-set tie-break limiting his opponent to just a single point as he waltzed through in convincing style.
With Daniil Medvedev up next after he dispatched Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets on Tuesday, Sinner will look to recreate his four-set US Open victory over the Russian.
Jannik Sinner predicts what Daniil Medvedev will do in their Shanghai Masters clash
The Italian has dominated recent proceedings against Medvedev, scooping up six wins in their last seven matches.
However, Sinner still trails by one with the Russian’s 7-6 lead looking to be levelled out on Thursday.
Having faced each other so recently in New York, Sinner has hinted that because the pair are so familiar with each other’s game styles, Medvedev is sure to try and switch things up this time.
“A very tough match, for sure. We know each other very well, so we more or less know what to expect from the opponent,” Sinner explained to Punto de break in his press conference.
Ahead of his 14th quarter-final of the year, seventh at Masters level, Sinner continued: “It’s clear that he will change a couple of things, I will also, we’ll see how it goes. It’s going to be a very tough match, very physical, very mental, and also very tactical.”
Seeded fifth, Medvedev has again succumbed to the perils of the draw and faces the world number one perhaps slightly easier than he would’ve liked.
With Alexander Zverev crashing out to Belgian’s resurgent David Goffin, the Russian is the fourth highest ranked player left.
Why hasn’t Daniil Medvedev defeated Jannik Sinner recently?
While the Russian’s last win against Sinner came at this year’s Wimbledon, it remains a slightly difficult one to analyze for several reasons.
The Italian was visibly struggling with illness throughout the match, yet still managed to take it to a fifth set.
With just that one win in the last seven, Medvedev’s gameplay has not ever been particularly poor – it’s more that Sinner has simply been too strong.
Having managed to completely neutralize the massive Shelton serve, there seems little Sinner isn’t prepared to take on and eventually conquer.
Medvedev previously criticized the Shanghai tennis balls, even suggesting they favored the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz.
The Italian, unfortunately for Medvedev, looks poised to level their head-to-head series on Thursday and move to a whopping 63rd win this year.
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