Novak Djokovic advanced to the Shanghai Masters semifinals on Friday, defeating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3, while unseeded Frenchman Hugo Vacherot continued his surprising run with a quarterfinal victory over Casper Ruud.
djokovic, seeking his record-extending seventh ATP Finals berth, demonstrated dominant form against Fritz, converting four of seven break points. Vacherot, ranked 75th in the world, upset eighth-seeded Ruud 7-5, 6-4, marking another critically important win in a tournament where he has already defeated Borna Coric and Francisco Cerundolo.
The victories set up a semifinal clash between Djokovic and Vacherot, and a second semifinal pairing of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. sinner defeated Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-3, and Alcaraz overcame Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 6-4.
VacherotS performance marks a career highlight, having never before reached the semifinals of an ATP Masters 1000 event. Djokovic is aiming for his fourth Shanghai Masters title, having previously won in 2012, 2013, and 2018. the Shanghai Masters is a crucial event in the final stretch of the season as players vie for qualification spots for the ATP Finals in Turin.
