Event of the Day: Day 3 of the Shanghai Masters

Our event of the day is Day 3 of the ATP Rolex Shanghai Masters at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai. Day 3 sees the continuation of the round of 64, as well as the start of the round of 32. Number 2 seed Novak Djokovic faces Frenchman Jérémy Chardy. Daniil Medvedev and Zhang Ze play to determine who will face defending champion, and number 1 seed, Roger Federer. Kyle Edmund, who reached the semi-finals of the China Open last week, looks to continue an excellent season as he faces Filip Krajinović. The Shanghai Masters is the penultimate event of the ATP Masters 1000, with only the Paris Masters remaining. Expect a hard-fought day of tennis as some of the top talent in men’s tennis look to end the year on a high note. Day 2 of the tournament saw plenty of exciting tennis. Number 9 seed Diego Schwartzman was upset by Sam Querrey. Querrey broke Schwartzman's serve three times, as well as scoring fourteen aces of his own. Number 14 seed Milos Raonic was also defeated in the first round, losing to the unseeded Mackenzie McDonald. This makes three seeded players eliminated in the first round, as number 12 seed Jack Sock lost on Sunday. Taylor Fritz, ranked 62nd in the world, beat Robin Haase in straight sets to set up an all-American second round against Querrey.

 

Meanwhile, number 10 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas avoided an upset as he overcame a strong challenge from Gaël Monfils in three sets. Despite a commendable performance, Stan Wawrinka was unable to overcome number 13 seed, Borna Ćorić. The Swiss wild card entrant took the first set but the seeded Croatian rallied in the 2nd and 3rd sets to take the match 4-6 6-4 6-3. Bradley Klahn became the fourth American to move into the second round after beating Nick Kyrgios in three sets. A fifth American, Frances Tiafoe, lost his match against Australain Matthew Edben. Ebden will face number 6 seed Dominic Thiem today. Enjoy a great day of tennis in Shanghai.

 

Honourable mentions around the globe go to international cricket and the Third Day of the 1st Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. Pakistan have set a dominant tone across the first two days of play. Having won the toss, they chose to bat first. Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s opener, was particularly impressive, scoring 126 runs and the tenth century of his test career. Haris Sohail also recorded a century as he scored 110 runs. Pakistan finished the 1st inning 482 all out, giving Australia some time to bat before the end of the day. At stumps, Australia were 30-0, trailing by 452 going into the 3rd day. All eyes will be on Dubai to see if Australia can give a strong response to Pakistan’s dominant opening. Elsewhere, in MLB, the New York Yankees host the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium for Game 4 of their American League Division Series. In the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs look to solidify their position towards the top of the Atlantic Division as they face the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center.