De Minaur advances via walkover, Shelton wins on birthday

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 10:55 · Archive

Alex de Minaur advanced to the Shanghai Masters third round without playing after his opponent retired.

Alex de Minaur has advanced to the third round of the ATP 1000-level Shanghai Masters after his opponent Alex Molcan retired with an undisclosed ailment on Friday, earning a walkover. The ninth-seeded Australian will face Japan's world No.137 Rei Sakamoto, who upset Russian Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4. De Minaur is seeking to qualify for the eight-man ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, for a third consecutive year after reaching the semi-finals in 2025.

US Open runner-up Ben Shelton marked his 24th birthday by advancing to the third round with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) victory over Germany's Daniel Altmaier. Top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who beat Shelton in the US Open final in four sets, defeated Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing 6-4 7-6 (7-4) on Friday.

Novak Djokovic, who won the China Open on Tuesday for his 102nd career title, was scheduled to play Poland's Hubert Hurkacz. World No.1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from Shanghai, announcing he would take the rest of 2026 off due to a right knee injury.

How it is being reported

• Demon gifted walkover and birthday boy Ben celebratesAussie ace Alex de Minaur didn't need to lift a racquet to advance, while US Open runner-up Ben Shelton celebrated his 24th birthday with victory in Shanghai.Perth Now · 9 Oct, 10:13
• Demon gifted walkover and birthday boy Ben celebratesAussie ace Alex de Minaur didn't need to lift a racquet to advance, while US Open runner-up Ben Shelton celebrated his 24th birthday with victory in Shanghai.The West Australian · 9 Oct, 10:13

In this story: Alex de Minaur · Ben Shelton · Shanghai Masters · ATP Finals · Alexander Zverev · Novak Djokovic · Jannik Sinner · Turin

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