World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will clash with Daniil Medvedev in the Shanghai Masters quarterfinals after both players secured straight-set victories on Wednesday.
Sinner exorcised past demons by defeating American Ben Shelton, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), avenging his exit at the same stage last year. Meanwhile, Medvedev dispatched Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
Facing Shelton, ranked 16th, Sinner exuded confidence from the outset, completing the match in just 88 minutes. The U.S. Open champion broke Shelton in the ninth game of the first set and then dominated the tiebreak in the second, showcasing his skill and composure.
"It was very tough; you don't have so much control when you play against him ... I just tried to stay strong mentally," Sinner said.
World No. 5 Medvedev and Tsitsipas were meeting for the 14th time.
Tsitsipas started the second set strongly, breaking in the first game, but Medvedev broke in the fourth and eighth games to progress.
Medvedev and Sinner have met four times this year already in the final stages of tournaments.
Sinner beat Medvedev in the semifinals at Miami, the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open and in the Australian Open final, but the Russian ended the Italian's hopes in the last eight at Wimbledon in an epic five-set battle.
Also through to the quarterfinals is world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in the China Open final a week ago.
The 21-year-old faced off against veteran Gael Monfils, winning 6-4, 7-5 for his 12th straight victory.
The 38-year-old Frenchman had upset Alcaraz in their last meeting in August at Cincinnati, and the Spaniard admitted that "was on his mind" during the match.
"I'm just really, really happy I won the match, and that I stayed calm throughout the whole match," he said.
"Playing against Gael is never easy... You need to be focused on every ball," he added.
Also in action on Wednesday were four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic and world No. 3 Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz downs Monfils
World number two Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in the China Open final a week ago, downed veteran Gael Monfils 6-4, 7-5 for a 12th straight victory.
The 38-year-old Frenchman upset Alcaraz at their last meeting in Cincinnati in August and the Spaniard admitted that "was on his mind".
"I'm just really, really happy I won the match, and that I stayed calm through the whole match," the 21-year-old said.
Alcaraz's quarter-final opponent is 23-year-old Tomas Machac, who beat 13th-ranked Tommy Paul 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
"He has really great tennis. He's so, so fast as well, so I have to be focused on that," Alcaraz said of the Czech.
Machac's teenage compatriot Jakub Mensik burnished his record against top 10 players, overpowering Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 just days after sending world number six Andrey Rublev home.
Mensik's next challenge is Djokovic after the Serb finished off Russian Roman Safiullin 6-3, 6-2 in 73 minutes.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love playing tennis in China," the four-time Shanghai champion said.
"I feel very comfortable here, because of the support I have," he said.
