The world number one delivered a strong serving display, landing 80 per cent of his first serves and saving all five break points he faced. The victory sets up a semi-final clash against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“I felt both of us were playing really, really well. I was a lot of times outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here,” said Zverev, who secured the year-end number one ranking earlier this week.
“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the last couple of matches.”
Zverev will now turn his attention to Davidovich Fokina as he seeks to continue his run at the Shanghai Masters. The German holds a 6-1 career head-to-head advantage over the Spaniard.
Davidovich Fokina reached the last four after French player Arthur Gea retired during their quarter-final match. Gea received treatment on court before withdrawing, with the Spaniard leading 4-1 in the opening set.
“Sad to end the tournament like this, but I’ll be back,” Gea wrote on Instagram.
The Frenchman has enjoyed a breakthrough 2026 season, climbing from 244th to 56th in the world rankings. He also claimed his first tour-level title at the Los Cabos Open in August.
Meanwhile, Friday’s quarter-final matches will feature rising Spanish talent Rafael Jodar against Norway’s Casper Ruud. Fifth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev will then face American Tommy Paul.
With his confidence growing and his serving proving effective, Zverev will hope to maintain his momentum as the Shanghai Masters moves towards its final stages.
