4 shocking results of the day from Shanghai Masters & Wuhan Open ft. Tommy Paul & Emma Navarro
The Chinese swing at the Shanghai Masters and Wuhan Open has been packed with excitement this week, with fans treated to plenty of surprises and upsets on both the men's and women's tours.
Despite all the upsets, the usual suspects made it through without a fuss. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and Taylor Fritz all booked their spots in the quarterfinals on the men's side, while Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff also moved safely through to the third round on the women's draw.
While many top stars advanced, there was also a significant exodus of seeds. Tommy Paul, Emma Navarro, Alexander Zverev, Barbora Krejcikova, Grigor Dimitrov, Donna Vekic, and Mirra Andreeva were all shown the door, marking a surprising wave of early exits.
With fans enjoying plenty of thrilling action on Wednesday, October 9, here are the biggest shocks of the day at the Shanghai Masters and Wuhan Open.
Biggest shocks of the day from the Shanghai Masters & Wuhan Open
#5 Barbora Krejcikova
Barbora Krejcikova's highlight this season was arguably winning Wimbledon, but the Czech has struggled for form since. She lost in the first round of the Olympics, the second round at the US Open, and suffered another shock disappointment in the first round of the China Open last week.
Seeded seventh in Wuhan this week, she was shocked in her opener by the hard-hitting Hailey Baptiste in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. She looked shaky from the back of the court and didn't approach the net as much either. She was also average on serve. Her unforced errors were also a big problem leading to a pretty disappointing performance overall.
#4 Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov entered the Shanghai Masters with a strong 38-14 match record for the year, highlighted by a title in Brisbane, where he defeated Holger Rune in the final. He also reached the finals of the Miami Open and the Open 13. His last professional appearance was at the US Open, where he impressed with a quarterfinal run, losing to Frances Tiafoe.
In Shanghai this week, Dimitrov began with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Zizou Bergs in the first round, followed by a win over 20th seed Alexei Popyrin. However, his run ended in the third round after a tough three-set loss to Czech youngster Jakub Mensik.
His struggles were apparent on serve, as he won just 66% and 63% of points behind his first and second serves. He appeared fatigued from the baseline, committing numerous errors, and his net play was ineffective on the day.
#3 Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev has had a somewhat underwhelming season by his high standards, as reflected by his 58-19 match record. His only title came in Rome, though he also finished as the runner-up in Paris and Hamburg.
He last featured at the US Open, where his campaign ended in a disappointing quarterfinal loss to Taylor Fritz. At the Shanghai Masters, he cruised through his opener against Mattia Bellucci but was pushed to three sets by Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.
Facing David Goffin in the third round, Zverev struggled with inconsistency, especially on serve, and was plagued by unforced errors from the baseline.
#2 Emma Navarro
Emma Navarro's slump continues on tour, with another disappointing loss in Wuhan yesterday adding to her disappointing exits in Beijing and Hong Kong in the last couple of weeks.
Despite having a breakthrough season, where she claimed her first WTA title, reached the semifinals at her home Slam in New York, and broke into the top 10 at No. 8, her form has been a concern since the US Open.
She has won just 2 of her last 5 matches, with her latest setback coming against Magdalena Frech in her Wuhan opener. Though she showed sparks of brilliance, she lacked consistency and appeared fatigued—not a surprise given the heavy schedule she’s had this year.
With the race for the WTA Finals heating up, Navarro will look to make the most of the remaining tournaments as she still holds hope of qualifying.
#1 Tommy Paul
Tommy Paul's struggles in the Asian swing continue with another defeat to Tomas Machac, marking his second loss to the Czech in as many weeks. Despite a strong first half of the season, Paul's form has taken a dip since Wimbledon.
Aside from a fourth-round appearance at the US Open, his North American hard-court campaign was underwhelming, and his results in Asia have been no better. Last week, he suffered a surprise second-round loss to Machac at the Japan Open, despite winning the first set.
This week at the Shanghai Masters, Paul opened with a dominant win over Fabio Fognini. He followed it up with a remarkable comeback victory against Alejandro Tabilo, saving five match points to secure a 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-2 win.
His run was once again cut short by Machac, who came from a set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, echoing their Tokyo encounter. With this loss, Paul’s record for the season now stands at 41-17, along with titles in Dallas and Queen's Club.