Shanghai Masters: Alex de Minaur sets up mouthwatering Zverev clash

James Pavey

Shanghai Masters: Alex de Minaur sets up mouthwatering Zverev clash image

Alex de Minaur's star continues to rise, with the Australian reaching the final 16 of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career.

The 19-year-old strengthened his standing as Australia's top-ranked male player after he completed a dominant straight sets win over Frenchman Benoit Paire at the Shanghai Masters.

De Minaur's 6-4 6-3 win over Paire set the youngster up for a clash against arguably the best player of his generation - German star Alexander Zverev.

Fifth-ranked Zverev - the youngest player in the top 10, at 21 years old - already boasts three Masters titles, and enjoys a 2-0 career record over de Minaur.

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Their most recent meeting was in the final of the Citi Open in Washington in August, with Zverev cruising to victory.

In January, the pair put on a show in an entertaining Davis Cup match in Brisbane, which Zverev won in a deciding-set tiebreaker.

However, de Minaur has enjoyed a late-season surge, having impressed at the US Open, and has effectively guaranteed himself a seeding for the first time in a Grand Slam at next year's Australian Open.

Let’s keep it going 💪💪😈 #hustle #deMon @rolexshmasters

A post shared by Alex De Minaur 🇦🇺 (@alexdeminaur) on

While the German will go into the match as the favourite, de Minaur will be looking to use his hardcourt smarts to great effect - which he did against Paire.


The win over Paire saw de Minaur join fellow Australian Matt Ebden in the third round in Shanghai.

Ebden rocked his way to a sterling victory over world No.7 Dominic Thiem, setting up a third round clash with Germany's Peter Gojowczyk.

Should the 30-year-old defeat Gojowczyk, he could crack the top 40 for the first time in his career.

Ebden could also overtake Nick Kyrgios in the rankings, who had a shocker against American qualifier Bradley Klahn in the first round.

As Klahn worked his way towards a win, a frustrated Kyrgios engaged in an argument with French umpire Damien Dumusois.

James Pavey

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