Alex de Minaur’s Shanghai Quarterfinal Loss to Medvedev Overshadowed by ATP Finals Qualification
Alex de Minaur’s valiant 2025 campaign suffered a setback on October 10 with a straight-sets 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal defeat to Daniil Medvedev at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, but the Australian star has received a major boost: confirmation of his qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The world No. 7, who entered the match with 50 tour-level wins for the season, fought gamely in a 1-hour, 53-minute battle but couldn’t overcome Medvedev’s baseline precision and 86% first-serve efficiency. Despite the loss—his 12th career meeting with the Russian, where Medvedev leads 8-4—de Minaur’s strong Shanghai run has locked in his second consecutive appearance at the year-end championships, joining an elite field headlined by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The Match: Medvedev’s Edge in a Physical Grind
De Minaur, seeded seventh, started competitively, holding serve comfortably in the early going and converting one of two break points to level at 2-2 in the first set. But Medvedev, the 2019 Shanghai champion and world No. 18, found his rhythm, breaking at 4-4 with a forehand winner and holding for the 6-4 set. The second mirrored the first, with de Minaur saving three break points in game six but faltering in the eighth after a 32-shot rally that highlighted the Australian’s speed but Medvedev’s superior depth. The Russian won 15 of 16 first-serve points in the decider, firing 27 winners to de Minaur’s 16, and converted his only break chance at 4-4 for the 6-4 close.
“It was a very physical match, and Daniil was just too solid today,” de Minaur said post-match. “I had my chances, but he didn’t give me much.” Medvedev, reaching his second Masters 1000 semifinal of 2025 (after Beijing), improved to 8-4 lifetime against de Minaur and now faces Arthur Rinderknech in the semis. The win marks Medvedev’s 50th career top-10 victory, a milestone he celebrated with a fist pump.
#### The Good News: Locked for ATP Finals Glory
Despite the disappointment—denying de Minaur a 51st win and a Shanghai semifinal—his Shanghai performance (three straight-sets victories over Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Kamil Majchrzak, and Borges) has secured his spot in the ATP Finals, the season-ending event for the top 8 players in the Race to Turin. De Minaur sits seventh with 3,950 points, 640 clear of ninth-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who would need a title run in Paris-Bercy to overtake him. With Jack Draper sidelined for the year due to injury, de Minaur’s qualification is all but assured, marking his second consecutive appearance after a debut in 2024.
“This is huge for me—last year was a learning curve, and now I’m going in confident,” de Minaur told Tennis Australia. “Shanghai showed I can hang with the best; Turin’s the goal to finish strong.” The ATP Finals (November 10-17) feature round-robin play, with de Minaur potentially grouped with Alcaraz, Sinner, and Novak Djokovic—a daunting but motivating draw.
De Minaur’s 2025: A Season of Milestones
De Minaur’s 50 wins (50-18 record) rank him third on tour behind Alcaraz (67) and Sinner (62), with a tour-leading 37 on hard courts. His Shanghai run—his third straight quarterfinal here—highlights his consistency, despite lopsided head-to-heads (0-11 vs. Sinner, 0-4 vs. Alcaraz). Key achievements include defending Acapulco, a China Open semifinal (first set taken off Sinner since 2020), and tying Fritz for the season’s second-most wins. “Showing up every week fills me with pride,” he said, eyeing a top-5 year-end ranking (495 points from No. 5 Djokovic) and seeded Australian Open draw.
| Player | 2025 Wins | Hard-Court Wins | ATP Finals Status |
|——–|———–|—————–|——————-|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 67 | 34 | Locked (No. 1) |
| Jannik Sinner | 62 | 34 | Locked (No. 2) |
| Alex de Minaur | 50 | 37 (Tour-leading) | Locked (7th in Race) |
| Taylor Fritz | 50 | 34 | Locked (5th) |
Medvedev’s Momentum: A Step Closer to Title No. 21
Medvedev, who triumphed in Shanghai in 2019, improves to 8-4 lifetime against de Minaur and now faces Rinderknech in the semifinals—his second Masters 1000 semi of 2025 (after Beijing). The Russian, with 33 wins and 19 on hard courts, eyes his first title in over two years, crediting his “super tired” but focused play. “Against Alex, we had long points, but I stayed sharp,” he said.
Looking Ahead: Paris-Bercy and ATP Finals for De Minaur
De Minaur heads to Paris-Bercy (October 27) rested and motivated, with a top-5 breakthrough possible if he reaches the semifinals there. The ATP Finals offer redemption after a 2024 debut that ended in round-robin losses to Sinner, Medvedev, and Fritz. “Turin’s the big one—I’m aiming for more than last year,” he said. As the first Australian to 50 wins since Hewitt in 2004, de Minaur’s Shanghai silver lining—Finals qualification—fuels his fire. The Demon’s year isn’t over; it’s just getting started.
