Daniil Medvedev will look for revenge against 2025 nemesis Learner Tien in the Shanghai fourth round on Wednesday. Lorenzo Musetti will also be in action against a resurgent Felix Auger-Aliassime.
(16) Daniil Medvedev vs. Learner Tien
Learner Tien burst onto the scene at the Australian Open at the start of this season. The 19-year-old American teen fought his way up through qualifying and made the round of 16. Ironically, he beat Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne. He also defeated the struggling Russian in the Beijing semifinals ilast week, giving him a notable 2-0 head-to-head record. Tien has since endured an inconsistent season. He was close to winless on clay (1-6) and ran into Novak Djokovic in the first round of the U.S. Open. He has come on this fall, though, with a quarterfinal result in Hangzhou, a final appearance in Beijing, and at least a fourth-round showing at this Rolex Shanghai Masters. Tien sits at a career-high 36th in the world.
Medvedev has had a difficult year. The 16th seed took first-round losses at every major and the one-time world No. 1 is ranked No. 18 right now. Medvedev had a fitness issue against Tien last week in Beijing, forcing him to withdraw with severe cramping. He at least managed to post a pair of straight-set wins over Dalibor Svrcina and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina earlier this fortnight. With more heat, humidity and ploddingly slow courts, Medvedev may well be vulnerable against Tien for the second tournament in a row.
Cheryl pick: Tien in 3
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 3
(8) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (12) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Felix Auger-Aliassime had an impressive resurgence at the U.S. Open last month. The world No. 13 played inspired tennis to upset two top-10 players (Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur) and world No. 15 Andrey Rublev. Shanghai is the Canadian’s first tournament since his semifinal run in New York City.
He will take on familiar foe Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday. The Italian made the quarters at the U.S. Open, but unlike Auger-Aliassime, he has played plenty of tennis since. Musetti holds a scant 4-3 record in the head-to-head, but he has won their two most recent matches–including a three-set success at the Miami Masters earlier this season. Musetti was forced to retire in Beijing last week. He has played well enough in Shanghai, but fatigue may start to become a factor. The slow courts may neutralize some of Auger-Aliassime’s weapons, but I’m giving the nod to the Canadian this time.
Cheryl pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3
Ricky pick: Auger-Aliassime in 3