It was set up for a semifinal between the world's two best tennis players right now – Italian Jannik Sinner against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz – in the ATP tournament in Shanghai.
Czech Tomas Machac wanted otherwise. The 23-year-old, ranked 33rd in the world, knocked out world number two Alcaraz with 7–6 (7–5), 7–5 and is on to the semifinal against world number one Sinner.
I'm playing my best tennis right now. You have to do that against these guys, otherwise you're out, says Machac in the winner's interview on TV4 Play's broadcast.
Sinner earlier in the day knocked out Russian Daniil Medvedev, who was struggling with a shoulder injury, with 6–1, 6–4.
In the other two quarterfinals, played on Friday, Serbian Novak Djokovic faces Jakub Mensik, Czech Republic, and Taylor Fritz, USA, takes on Belgian David Goffin.
