Zverev Beats de Minaur to Reach Shanghai Semis

Alexander Zverev looked every bit like the next World No. 1 on Thursday. The top seed beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 in 78 minutes at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to reach the Shanghai semis for the third time, and the first time since 2019.

Zverev has already locked up the ATP year-end No. 1 ranking, and he could climb to World No. 1 for the first time as early as Nov. 2. A clean straight-sets win over a Top 10 rival is exactly what a player in that spot is supposed to deliver.

One break per set was plenty

Zverev grabbed the only break of the opening set with a huge forehand winner at 2-2, 0-40. He saved three break points to hold for 4-2, then served out the set with no more trouble.

The second set followed the same script. Zverev saved two break points to hold for 3-3 and broke de Minaur in the very next game. His serve carried the match. He won 80 percent of his first-serve points (35 of 44) and fired 10 aces against the World No. 9.

"I think it was a huge step up," Zverev said. He added that he felt both players were playing really well. "I was, a lot of the time, outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here. I felt good and I'm happy with the step up from the past couple of matches."

No handbrake in Shanghai

The Roland Garros and US Open champion is now 62-14 this season and leads de Minaur 9-4 in their head-to-head. With Jannik Sinner out for the rest of the year, Zverev said the ranking race is not what is driving him.

"I feel like I've been handling pressure quite okay this year," he said. "In a way you play a bit more relaxed, but I don't think about it that way."

He also explained why his level keeps rising as tournaments go on. "I think every tournament that I've played this year, I had to find my range and rhythm in the first couple of matches," Zverev said. "I feel like I did that well here and now I'm going into the semi-finals."

Davidovich Fokina up next

Zverev meets 25th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday for a spot in the final. The Spaniard reached his fourth Masters 1000 semifinal when Arthur Gea retired trailing 4-1 in the first set with a psoas injury. That gives Davidovich Fokina extra rest after he needed deciding-set tiebreaks to get past Frances Tiafoe and Hubert Hurkacz.

"I'm blessed that I have two days more to recover better my body," Davidovich Fokina said.

Zverev fans have watched him find his range in Shanghai one round at a time. Two more wins and the trophy matches the ranking.