Rinderknech got the better of Zverev again | Image credits: IMAGO / VCG
Unseeded Arthur Rinderknech caused a massive upset as he beat third seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the third round of the Shanghai Masters 2025. Zverev took the first set and looked on course to make it to the next round, but an inspired display by Rinderknech in the second and third sets stopped him in his tracks.
Rinderknech had already caused an upset in the previous round, beating 28th seed Alex Michelsen. Before that, the Frenchman had got past Hamad Medjedovic in the first round after the latter had to retire because of the humidity. When asked about the conditions after the match, he said:
"It's tough. It's tough for everyone. You've seen it. 50% of the matches are not finishing, and 50% of the matches are finishing with the guys getting cramps or vomiting. We're using an incredible amount of shirts, and thankfully, the laundry is working really well. I'm going to have a lot of laundry for the next one for sure."
Rinderknech reflected on his performance:
"Yeah, it's huge for sure. I had my first top 5 win in a grand slam at Wimbledon against Sascha. It happens again, I guess I'm a little bit lucky against him, and I'm able to play my best tennis. Of course, I need to play my very best tennis to beat a guy like Sascha, who's been number 3 for many, many years. He's such a steady player, very good player, so I'm very happy, and now I have another match coming in 2 days."
Zverev looked in control of proceedings in the first set, and Rinderknech spoke about what he changed about his game in the second set that brought him back into the match:
"Well, it wasn't great in the first set. I was trying to go offensive, but I was rushing it a little too much. He was really solid. We know how solid he is. I was missing too much, I was not finding my serve either, but I was able to do it better in the second and third sets, so it was a lot more specific, and I was able to finish with a volley, so that's helped me a lot."
Rinderknech will now face Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16.
