Tomas Machac halted No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz‘s 12-match winning streak 7-6 (5), 7-5 on Thursday in the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals. In under two hours, No. 33 Tomas Machac defeated a top-five opponent for the second time this year in his third tour-level quarterfinal. The Czech player proved to be more than a match for the four-time major winner.
In the semifinals, Machac will take on the number one seed, Jannik Sinner. “I knew that the level of my tennis would be great because I am playing the best right now, for sure,” stated Machac. “I put on an incredible display to defeat Tommy Paul in my most recent encounter. And I have to play this level with these players; if not, it’s 6-2, 6-3, and you’re going home.
Alcaraz, who defeated Sinner in a thrilling encounter to win the China Open last week, was informed moments before Rafael Nadal announced his retirement, but he insisted that the information had no bearing on his performance. Also read: Jannik Sinner ‘very confident’ in positive outcome after WADA appeals his doping case
“It is a really difficult thing, really difficult news for everybody, and even tougher for me,” Alcaraz stated. Since I first began playing tennis, he has served as my idol. I think highly of him. I can say with pride that I had a strong desire to play professional tennis because of him. We’re going to struggle, I think, to lose him in a certain sense, so I’ll try to make the most of his playing time.
Sinner defeated fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to reach his fifth ATP Masters semifinal of the year. Jannik Sinner overcame his Russian opponent, who required treatment for a broken shoulder during the second set, 6-1, 6-4. Sinner started the match strongly and faced just one break point.
“Obviously I’m very happy how I handled today and this match,” Sinner stated. He didn’t seem to be able to smash his forehand as well as he would have liked because of what felt like some shoulder pain. I hope he heals quickly, but I thought it was a fantastic match and battle. Now, let’s see what I can do in the semifinals.” Also read: Billie Jean King: first female athlete to be awarded Congressional Gold Medal