De Minaur Reaches Shanghai Last 16 After Beijing Injury

Alex de Minaur has returned to competitive action at the Shanghai Masters after retiring from the China Open final against Novak Djokovic, reaching the last 16 with a straight-sets victory over Rei Sakamoto. The Australian ninth seed benefited from additional recovery time following his Beijing injury and will next face Karen Khachanov as he continues his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.

According to Express.co.uk, De Minaur retired during Tuesday's China Open final after losing a closely contested opening-set tiebreak against Djokovic. He received treatment before the second set but managed to play only one additional game before conceding the match.

Djokovic subsequently claimed his 102nd career title and seventh championship in Beijing, where he has never lost a match, according to Express.co.uk.

De Minaur traveled to Shanghai for medical scans and further assessment, remaining in the tournament despite uncertainty over his fitness. As the ninth seed, he received a bye into the second round before Slovakian opponent Alex Molcan withdrew hours before their scheduled meeting, granting the Australian a walkover into the third round.

The additional recovery time preceded a 7-6(6), 6-4 victory over Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto, securing De Minaur's place in the round of 16.

De Minaur said the extra rest helped him manage his recovery and return to a competitive level. He also explained that the extent of his problem had remained unclear until he arrived in Shanghai.

"Definitely came in really handy. I definitely needed those extra days of recovery, and yeah, I’m just building every day," De Minaur said. "Obviously, I had no idea what it was until I kind of got here, and then yeah, tried to do everything I could to come out and compete, and I’m glad I was able to do that today.

He said he had used the interval between matches for recovery and noticed gradual improvement each day before facing Sakamoto.

"It was great to get those extra two days. I ultimately ended up having five days in between matches. I put a lot of recovery in, a lot of hours to get myself ready.

Every day I felt a little bit better, and today I was able to go out there and compete in a very high standard. I'm sure in a couple days’ time it will feel even better, so I'm very excited about that." De Minaur said.

The Australian also remains in contention for the ATP Finals, the season-ending championship in Turin. His retirement in Beijing left him 10th in the race, with the top eight normally qualifying. However, Jannik Sinner has ended his season, meaning the ninth-ranked player in the final standings will also secure a place.

Djokovic currently occupies that additional qualifying position, but his opening-match defeat in Shanghai has created further uncertainty in the race. De Minaur acknowledged that qualification remains on his mind while emphasizing his immediate focus on competing in Shanghai.

"I mean, I’m trying to just do my thing. I mean, obviously it’s in the back of my mind, because it’s in the back of the mind of everyone out here," De Minaur said.

He added that he had been pleased with his tennis in Beijing before the injury interrupted his campaign and was now concentrating on his performances in Shanghai.

"Yeah, I’m just trying to do my thing competing. I was really happy with my week in Beijing. I thought I really played some great tennis and was feeling really good on the court, so now come here, Shanghai, try to do my best and see what I can do." De Minaur said.

According to TennisNerd.net, De Minaur's next opponent, 26th seed Karen Khachanov, reached the last 16 after winning two matches in Shanghai. Khachanov spent 3 hours and 29 minutes beating Arthur Fery 7-6(6), 6-7(5), 7-6(2) before defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-4.

The head-to-head record between De Minaur and Khachanov stands at 2-2, with the Australian winning their most recent meeting 6-2, 6-2 in the Paris Masters round of 16 last year.

Frenchman Arthur Gea also continued his run in Shanghai, defeating third seed Ben Shelton 7-6(5), 7-6(3) to reach the round of 16. The 21-year-old, ranked No. 56 and competing in Shanghai for the first time, had previously beaten Jaime Faria 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-2 and 30th seed Ugo Humbert 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Gea's progress follows his first ATP title in Los Cabos in August. His next opponent is 13th seed Jakub Mensik, who advanced after beating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-3 and Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

Mensik won the Auckland title earlier in the year and is approaching the top 10 in the rankings. According to TennisNerd.net, the Shanghai meeting will be the first tour-level encounter between the Czech and Gea.