Jakub Menšík (19) will play his first quarter-final match at the prestigious Masters series in Shanghai, China, and he will probably never forget it, as he will challenge the four-time champion, his idol and Serbian record holder Novak Djokovic (37). The better of this fight will face Taylor Fritz (26) or the surprise of the tournament David Goffin (33) in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Overview of the most interesting, Friday 11.10.
Menšík (Czech Republic) – Djokovic (4-Serb.) | Stadium Court (12:30 CEST)
Fritz (7-USA) – Goffin (Belg.) | Stadium Court (09:00 SELČ)
Menšík – Djokovic | 12:30 CET
Jakub Menšík broke through to the main circuit this year, and due to the bigger team and more demanding matches against much tougher opponents, he has already dealt with health problems several times. Still, he continues to have a breakthrough and life-changing season. In his debut at the Masters in Shanghai, he already managed four duels and won all of them in three sets, including those against TOP 10 representatives Andrey Rublyov and Grigor Dimitrov.
The 19-year-old Czech was already very successful among the juniors and was predicted to have a successful career at the professional level as well. However, such a rocket rise was not expected. At the beginning of this year, he was on the 167th place in the ranking, however, thanks to the final in Doha, the semi-final in Umag and the current quarter-final in Shanghai, he is one place away from debuting in the TOP 50 in the live ranking.
The talented teenager is apparently not intimidated by any name, which is confirmed by his excellent record of 4:1 this year with TOP 10 players. Not even some representatives of the elite ten can boast such success, they are even in negative numbers. The only failure Menšík recorded was in the second round of the Australian Open, in which he twice led by a set over Hubert Hurkacz.
Business card of Jakub Menšík. (@livesport)
Menšík – This season
Best results: Doha (Final)
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: Doha (Final)
Balance: 36:21
Balance from the last 10 matches: 7:3
Balance on outdoor concrete: 26:11
Record against TOP 10 players: 4:1 (career 4:2)
Balance in the Masters quarterfinals: 0:0 (career 0:0)
Grandslamy: Australian Open (2nd round), French Open (did not play), Wimbledon (1st round), US Open (3rd round)
Minor – Rolex Shanghai Masters
Career record: 4:0
Best result: quarter final (2024)
Last year’s result: he didn’t play
Balance in the quarterfinals: 0:0
Dress rehearsal: Peking (1. col)
Journey through the tournament: Martínez (6:1, 5:7, 6:4), (6) Rublyov (6:7, 6:4, 6:3), Shevchenko (6:1, 6:7, 6:2), (9 ) Dimitrov (6:3, 3:6, 6:4)
Novak Djokovic had a tricky opponent in every match at the ongoing Masters in Shanghai, but he still made it to the top eight without dropping a set. In the opening match, he defeated the excellently playing Alex Michelsen in two tie-breaks, and then he improved his performance and dominated against Flavio Cobolli and Roman Safiullin.
He starts in Shanghai for the tenth time in his career and this time he reached the quarterfinals, in which he has a famous record of 8:1 in this venue. The four-time champion failed only in his last appearance in 2019, when he lost 6:3, 5:7, 3:6 to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The former leader of the ranking, who this season only triumphed at the Olympics in Paris, lost only one of 16 fights this year against opponents who were not in the TOP 50 ranking. And that at the Masters in Indian Wells in March, where he suffered a shocking three-set defeat to Luca Nardi. Since his first move to the post of world number one in 2011, he has had only two seasons (2016 and 2018) in which he recorded more than one setback against someone outside the TOP 50 ranking.
Business card of Novak Djokovic. (@livesport)
Djokovic – This season
Best results: Paris Olympics (triumph); Wimbledon (final)
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: Australian Open (semifinals)
Balance: 35:8
Balance from the last 10 matches: 9:1
Balance on outdoor concrete: 13:4
Record against TOP 50-100 players: 7-0 (career 247-16)
Balance in the Masters quarterfinals: 1-0 (career 74-16)
Grandslamy: Australian Open (semifinals), French Open (quarterfinals), Wimbledon (final), US Open (3rd round)
Djokovic – Rolex Shanghai Masters
Career record: 37:5
Best result: triumph (2012-13, 2015, 2018)
Last year’s result: he didn’t play
Balance in the quarterfinals: 8:1
Dress rehearsal: none
Journey through the tournament: volný los, Michelsen (7:6, 7:6), (28) Cobolli (6:1, 6:2), Safiullin (6:3, 6:2)
Mutual balance: 0:0. Although Menšík is Djokovic’s lowest-ranked opponent at the tournament, the Czech talent currently poses a greater threat than the Serb’s previous three opponents. Menšík is mentally more resilient and has more talent and potential, and he is doing great this year against the best players in the world. However, he has had four difficult matches in recent days, which may have a negative impact on his performance.
In any case, Menšík will fulfill his big dream, because it was thanks to Djokovic that he started playing tennis, and the most successful player of all time is his idol. A win would be a huge sensation as Djokovic looks in form in Shanghai and has plenty of experience in the final rounds at the biggest tournaments. But nothing is impossible and the Czech teenager can be inspired by Tomáš Macháč’s shocking win over Carlos Alcaraz.
Fritz – Goffin | 09:00 SELČ
Taylor Fritz is improving with each match at the ongoing Shanghai Masters. In the opening round, he needed two tie-breaks against the 161st player in the world, Térence Atmane, then lost seven games with the 336th ranked man, Josuke Watanuki, and in the round of 16 outclassed fellow TOP 15 player Holger Rune 6:1, 6:2. By progressing to the quarterfinals, he significantly increased his chances of participating in the Tournament of Champions, in the live standings of the season, he is in fifth place.
The 26-year-old American appeared at all four of this year’s Masters events on his home continent of North America and failed to live up to expectations at any of them. On Friday, he will complete his first quarter-final of the year on hard 1000s. On the other hand, it will be his third Masters quarter-final this season. He wrote the other two on clay, his weakest surface. While he succeeded in Madrid, he lost to Alexander Zverev at this stage in Rome.
He has played 11 quarter-final matches at the Masters with a record of 4:7. This is only the second time he has met someone outside the TOP 50 in the 1000s in this round. Last year at home in Indian Wells, he defeated the then 61st player in the world, Miomir Kecmanovic, and finally came away with his biggest title to date. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the final and began his rise to the TOP 10 ranking.
Taylor Fritz business card. (@livesport)
Fritz – This season
Best results: Eastbourne, Delray Beach (triumph); US Open, Munich (final)
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: Delray Beach (Triumph); US Open (final)
Balance: 48:19
Balance from the last 10 matches: 7:3
Balance on outdoor concrete: 21:9
Record against TOP 50-100 players: 17:2 (career 102:56)
Balance in the Masters quarterfinals: 1:1 (career 4:7)
Grandslamy: Australian Open (quarterfinals), French Open (round of 16), Wimbledon (quarterfinals), US Open (final)
Fritz – Rolex Shanghai Masters
Career record: 7:4
Best result: quarter final (2024)
Last year’s result: 3rd round
Balance in the quarterfinals: 0:0
Dress rehearsal: Tokio (1st column)
Journey through the tournament: Free los, Atmane (7:6, 7:6), Watanuki (6:3, 6:4), (12) Rune (6:1, 6:2)
Just a few months ago, David Goffin was having trouble winning matches one level down on the challengers. However, the birth of his daughter in September apparently gave him the impetus to fight for a return to the elite. He continues to surprise in Shanghai, on his way to the quarterfinals, he knocked out world number 18 Lorenzo Musetti and third-ranked player Alexander Zverev. “I wanted to show my daughter that I can still play tennis. I would like to play at this level for a few more years.”
The former seventh player in the world has evidently not forgotten tennis, and his weaker performances and results were rather due to a lack of self-confidence. That should come in handy as he registered his first TOP 10 scalp in two years against Zverev and will play his first quarter-final at the Masters since Monte Carlo 2021 on Friday. Like Fritz, he is 4-7 at this stage.
It has been a very long time since the 33-year-old Belgian defeated two representatives of the TOP 10 ranking in one tournament. The last time he did it was in the round of 16 and quarterfinals at the 2018 Cincinnati Masters, where he eliminated Kevin Anderson and Juan Martín del Potro.
David Goffin business card. (@livesport)
Goffin – This season
Best results: Winston-Salem (Semifinals)
The greatest achievements on outdoor concrete: Winston-Salem (Semifinals)
Balance: 44:24
Balance from the last 10 matches: 8:2
Balance on outdoor concrete: 24:10
Record against TOP 10 players: 1:1 (career 19:58)
Balance in the Masters quarterfinals: 0-0 (career 4-7)
Grandslamy: Australian Open (1st round), French Open (2nd round), Wimbledon (1st round), US Open (3rd round)
Goffin – Rolex Shanghai Masters
Career record: 10:4
Best result: quarter-finals (2016, 2024)
Last year’s result: he didn’t play
Balance in the quarterfinals: 0:1
Dress rehearsal: none
Journey through the tournament: Duckworth (6:4, 6:2), (15) Musetti (1:6, 7:6, 6:2), Giron (1:6, 6:3, 7:5), (2) Zverev (6 :4, 7:5)
Mutual balance: 1:1. It should be mentioned that Goffin is not yet back to his best form and in the previous round he took advantage of the fact that Zverev has not been performing in the TOP 10 recently. it won’t be that easy. The American is deservedly the clear favorite and should beat the current version of Goffin.
Friday program
STADIUM COURT (from 06:30 CEST)
1. González/Roger-Vasselin (Mex./Fr.) – Koolhof/Mektic (Niz./Chorv.)
2. Fritz (7-USA) – Goffin (Belg.) / at the earliest at 09:00 CET
3. Menšík (Czech Republic) – Djokovic (4-Serb.) / at the earliest at 12:30 CEST
Tournament overview
The article was originally published for Livesport News.
