Shanghai – Third seed Alexander Zverev lost to 54th place Arthur Lindeknek 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the opening match at the Shanghai Masters on Monday.
Zverev, the best ranked player left in the draw, saw control after taking the first set, but struggled with the rest of the match and was unable to break the serve again. Rinderknech took a break in the second set, sealing the victory in more than two hours in the third set.
He also beat Zverev in five sets in the first round at Wimbledon this year.
The 30-year-old Rinderknech scored a career-high 23 wins in 2025 and is taking part in the fourth round of his third Masters 1000 event.
He then played Jiri Lehekka, beating Dennis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4.
Previously, seventh seed Alex de Minaur defeated Kamil Majakurzak 6-1, 7-5, 7-5 in humid conditions for his 36th tour lead victory on the hard court this year.
26-year-old De Minaur defeated Majchrzak’s serve five times to reach the 7th Masters 1000 round of the season. Two of the two breaks came after dropping serves to track 4-3 in the second set.
“I’ve come to know how tough the situation is this week,” De Minaur said. “So, in the end, I’m surviving, finding my way and preparing for the fight every time I get on the court. Especially in these conditions, there’s nothing like an easy match, so I’m happy to be able to form myself in the second set, get my break back and finish it in two.
De Minaur then faced Nuno Borges, who defeated Shan Junchen 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3. Another victory for De Minaur will see him hit a 50 tour-level victory for the first time in the season.
Felix Auger-Aliasime converted three of his four breakpoints to defeat Jesper De Jong 6-4, 7-5. Augar Aliasim, seeded in the 12th, was helped by the ball’s child after slid in the second set. He was 10-2 in August, with both defeats coming against Janik Thinner. Auger Ariasime then faced eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated fellow Italian Luciano Dadeli 7-5, 7-6 (1).
Defending champion Thinner dragged 7-6 (3), 5-7, 2-3 against Tallong Leakspool on Sunday.
Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who won the Japan Open last week, is not in Shanghai due to a mild illness.
American learner Tien defeated Cameron Norry 7-6 (4), 6-3.
