Shanghai Masters 2018 today: Schedule for October 11, Top matches, Where to watch and more
Day 5 of the Shanghai Masters 2018 could not be any more exciting as it has two of the biggest stars of tennis -- Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic -- scheduled to play their respective third round matches. The Wimbledon and US Open champion Djokovic happens to face the last man to beat him in Grand Slams -- Marco Cecchinato.
The Italian had pulled off a shock four-set win over the Serb in the quarter-finals of the French Open. However, the former World No. 1 was still making his comeback from his elbow injury at that time and hadn't yet found his best form.
It was that loss that triggered a thorough introspection and it eventually led to the Serb winning the next two Slams. Djokovic is now riding high on a 14-match winning streak and would be eager to avenge his French Open defeat to the Italian.
Federer did not have the best of starts in his opening round match in Shanghai, where he had to work hard for three sets to see off the spirited Daniil Medvedev. It very much underlined the fact that an improvement is required on the Swiss maestro's part if he wants to successfully defend his Shanghai Masters title.
Roberto Bautista Agut could be one tricky opponent for the 20-time Grand Slam champion to face, given Federer's recent struggles. And this could be one more long battle for the World No. 2 if he does not manage to keep his errors at bay.
The third seeded Del Potro has an interesting encounter against the Halle champion Borna Coric. Although the Argentine had an effortless win over the Croat in their only career meeting so far, Coric indeed has the tools to stretch Del Potro.
Among other matches, the third round clash between Kevin Anderson and Stefanos Tsitsipas should attract a lot of attention. The young Greek interestingly already has a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head showdowns, but it is to be noted that both those matches went the distance.
And that does indicate that the South African might just turn it around this time if he can keep his serve going on the fast surface at Shanghai.
List of top matches of the day:
Centre Court
(4) Alexander Zverev vs Alex de Minaur at 10.30am IST
Not before 12.30pm IST
(2) Novak Djokovic vs (16) Marco Cecchinato
Not before 3.30pm IST
(1) Roger Federer vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Followed by
(3) Juan Martin del Potro vs (13) Borna Coric
Show Court 3
(11) Kyle Edmund vs Nicolas Jarry at 10.30am IST
Followed by
(10) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs (7) Kevin Anderson
Followed by
Sam Querrey vs (8) Kei Nishikori
Followed by
Peter Gojowczyk vs Matthew Ebden
Here is all you need to know about how to follow the Shanghai Masters:
Tournament name: Rolex Shanghai Masters
Location: Shanghai, China
Category: Masters 1000
Date: Thursday, October 11, 2018
Round: Third
Broadcast: Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD
Livestream: Sony Liv