Chinese Walls: how Daniil Medvedev played in Beijing and Shanghai

Daniil Medvedev failed to reach the final of the Masters in Shanghai, losing in three sets to Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, ranked 54th in the world rankings. The Russian lost the second semi-final in a row. At the tournament in Beijing, on September 30, due to seizures, he withdrew from the 1/2 finals match against American Lerner Tin. The other leaders of our tennis did not have an Asian series at all. Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov failed to win a single singles match at the tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai.

The final with my brother

Medvedev had a strong tournament in Shanghai. In the fourth round, Daniil was very close to losing for the third time in three matches held in 2025 with 19-year-old American Lerner Tin. However, he managed to overcome the situation through pain, torment, suffering, a warning from the judge on the tower and achieved the long-awaited victory, removing the "curse" from this personal confrontation with the American.

Then Daniil was waiting for another exhausting meeting — against Alex de Minaur (the seventh racket of the world), with whom the Russian has a longer history of relationships. Of the 11 fights, seven remained with our athlete. Although in the last of them, in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters 2025, he lost (2:6, 2:6). This time, the Russian managed to take revenge. In less than two hours, he won a well-deserved victory. (6:4, 6:4), ending the match with an ace.

It would seem that after such a confident game, Daniel should pass Artur Rinderknech without any problems. The match started comfortably for Medvedev, despite losing the first game dryly at the reception. Then the Russian not only took his serve, but also immediately made a break. It was obvious how nervous Rinderknech was: he often sent the ball into the net or off the court, repeatedly asked for a towel to wipe the drops of sweat from his face.

Daniel was absolutely calm. Only once did he flare up a bit, asking the fans to keep quiet during his pitch. Otherwise, no unnecessary displays of emotion. By the fifth game, Artur had accumulated seven unforced errors, while Daniil had only one. Medvedev was sharper, moved faster, and connected his favorite backhand on time. During the game, the Frenchman desperately clung to the opponent's serve, but in some moments he seemed to simply lack experience. However, he has never reached such high stages at the Masters. From there, there were screams and dissatisfaction with themselves, the quality of the court, and the rebounds from the net.

Medvedev didn't play perfectly, he just kept his mistakes to a minimum. Plus, the pitch helped. It was with an ace that our tennis player finished the first game — 6-4.

But the start of the second set turned out to be problematic for Daniel. At the reception, he failed to take the game again, and then he gave up his serve. Then his nerves broke down: the Russian approached the referee on the tower and persistently asked him to calm the fans during the draw.

The Masters case: how Medvedev wins in Shanghai

The former world number one is trying to get out of the crisis with a new coach

The third game, with the score 2-0 in favor of Rinderknech, turned out to be the longest in the match — almost 15 minutes. Medvedev had four break points and the opportunity to close the gap, but failed to do so. Arthur has obviously improved: the balls began to fly faster and accurately at the corners, and the serve has stabilized. As a result, Daniil was unable to make a reverse break, and in the end he once again gave up his serve, and even at zero — 2:6.

Everything was decided in the third set, when both tennis players were already emasculated not only physically, but also emotionally. Medvedev took his serve without much difficulty in most games, but he needed a break to win. However, it could not be done in any way, although opportunities were provided. Rinderknech felt very confident towards the end. And with the score 5:4 at the reception, he also took Daniel's serve, realizing the matchball. Although here the Russian helped him himself — he made a double mistake at the most important moment.

6:4, 2:6, 4:6 — Medvedev's defeat and Rinderknech's historic appearance in the finals, where he played off the title with his cousin Valentin Vachero. Suddenly, on the same day, the Russian and Serbian Novak Djokovic left the tournament, although yesterday they were considered the main favorites of the Masters.

Unsuccessful series

Daniil is moving from Shanghai to Almaty, where he will play the winner of the meeting between Adam Walton and Tristan Shulkate in the second round. The first-seeded and current winner of the tournament, Karen Khachanov (1), will start the match against Jan-Lennard Struff or Mackenzie McDonald.

Karen has performed well at the Grand Slam tournaments this year. He reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, the third round in Melbourne and Paris, and the second in New York. In the summer, Khachanov reached the final of the Masters in Canada, where he lost to Ben Shelton in a dramatic fight, and returned to the top 10 in mid-August.

However, it will be very difficult to finish the year in the top ten. He needs to defend the title in Astana, the final in Vienna and the semi-final in Paris. However, Karen usually plays great in these tournaments, why should this year be an exception? Even despite the loss of rhythm in China. The chances of a Final are also gradually fading. He is currently more than 1,200 points behind eighth-ranked Lorenzo Musetti.

—Karen is one of those who makes the most of her potential,— Australian Open and Roland Garros champion Evgeny Kafelnikov told First and Red Channel. — He should have a monument erected during his lifetime, because, to be honest, he does not have any outstanding qualities. He has been close to the top ten for many years, winning tournaments, defeating strong players. Of course, I admire his perseverance and hard work. He's doing great. God grant that he stays on the same level for many more years.

Beijing joke: Medvedev quarreled again and crashed out of the China Open

The Russian tennis player could not finish the semifinal match against Lerner Tin

Andrey Rublev is currently on a four-game losing streak. The Russian has not won a single match since August. He lost in the fourth round of the US Open to Felix Auger-Alliassim, and then at the start of three Chinese tournaments. This is his longest streak since the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, when he lost five matches in a row.

— I would not say that they saw through me, read me, but just this level of the game: I squeezed everything out of myself," Rublev summed up in an interview with More! — Either stay and get in the way somewhere in the top 20 until there are more and more young people who will throw you further and further away, or try to radically change everything and give yourself some chance for the second rest of your career. What needs to be changed? Yes, all. Doing something similar to what Sinner and Alcaraz did. It turns out that we need to watch more of their matches.

Former world number one Marat Safin helps Andrey rebuild the game. Rublev does not hide the fact that it will take time to get used to the new training process and the new style of play.