Alexander Zverev on Thursday made a long-sought after return to the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, booking his first final four at the event since 2019, defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4.

The 2027 year-end No. 1 last got this far as the Covid pandemic began to surface in China in 2019. The event was not played 2020-2022, with the German making modest progress here over the past three editions since resumption.

After winning his 62nd match of the season, the 29-year-old was pleased with his performance.

“I think it was a huge step up. From just being on the court I felt both of us were playing really well. 

“I was, a lot of the time, outhitting Alex, which is difficult to do from the baseline because he is so fast and he loves this kind of court speed here. 

“I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the past couple of matches.”

Zverev advanced in 78 minutes, sending over 10 aces as he defeated the Australian for the ninth time in their 13 matches.

Added the reigning Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows Grand Slam champion: “I’ve been handling pressure quite okay this year. In a way you play a bit more relaxed.

“Once Jannik (SInner) unfortunately announced he won’t play for the rest of the year, I’m 4,000 points ahead of everyone else, so I trust myself enough that I’m going to win [enough matches].

Zverev will play for the final to wrap up the Asian swing as he takes on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who advanced when  Arthur Gea quit their quarter-final with injury.

American outsider Ann Li produced the upset of her life on Wednesday, taking 10 match points to defeat world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a quarter-final shock at the WTA Wuhan 1000.

The No. 31’s success kept top seed Sabalenka from a place in the final four at the event for the first time in her career.

The two-and-a-half-hour victory was the third for Li this season over a top 10 opponent. The loss was a huge blow to Sabalenka, who won the tournament on three occasions 2018, 2019 and 2024.

The run counts as a hat-trick, with the tournament played in the epicentre city for the Covid outbreak not staged from 2020 through 2023.

Li rallied from a set down to complete her biggest day in tennis.

“On some of those match points I was about to lose my mind. I was about to crash out,” the winner said.

“I didn’t even play that bad, she just played really well. 

“You have to play point by point. And I knew that if I stayed there, I could get into that situation again, which is all you can ask for.”

Li was operating from a deficit after Sabalenka swept the opening set with an eight-point surge and put the American into a second-set hole down a break of serve, 2-4.

But Li gathered her resources and claimed nine of 11 games, levelling at a set each and leading 5-2 lead in the third.

Sabalenka called for the physio for her right leg, then saved five match points before continuing the heroics for four additional recoveries from defeat.

Li finally got the job done on her 10th chance in the final-set tiebreaker, finishing it off with a forehand winner.

Alexander Zverev marked his new status as sure-thing year-end No. 1 by reaching the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Tuesday by posting a fighting 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-6 (1) victory over Alexander Bublik..

The 29-year-old German whose two Grand Slam titles this season and the absence of injured Jannik Sinner helped him into the top spot for the first time, needed to save four early set points and deal with an ank;e issue on his journey into the last eight.

Zverev moved through in just under two and three-quarter hours to set up a match with last week’s Beijing finalist Alex de Minaur, The Australian booked his spot over Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4.

Zverev will be playing in his 40th quarter-final in a Masters 1000 and is on the hunt for an eighth trophy this season.

He said his ankle was giving problems – but not enough to affect the match outcome.”It was kind of understandable because I have been playing a lot of tennis, which is kind of a good sign because I have been playing well.

“I’m starting to feel my body more and more but happy to get through. It was a difficult match because he has been playing amazing tennis,” he said after coming from a break down in the deciding set.

De Minaur has bounced back nicely in Shanghai after quitting the Tokyo final against Carlos Alcaraz with an adductor muscle injury.