Rei Sakamoto Shocks Andrey Rublev at Shanghai Masters

Sakamoto's Stunning Victory

Shanghai, Oct 9: In a surprising turn of events at the Shanghai Masters, Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto triumphed over former finalist Andrey Rublev in the second round, winning 6-4, 6-4 on Court 3 this Friday.

Sakamoto, ranked World No. 137, delivered an impressive performance, defeating the World No. 23 in straight sets during a match that lasted 1 hour and 22 minutes. He managed to break Rublev's serve twice while successfully saving both break points he faced, advancing to the round of 32.

The match commenced with Sakamoto breaking Rublev in the very first game, and he maintained his serve to secure the opening set in just 35 minutes. The players exchanged holds until the score reached 4-4, at which point Sakamoto broke again to take a 5-4 lead, ultimately holding his serve to clinch the second set in 46 minutes and win the match.

On serve, Sakamoto excelled, winning 77% of his first serves and 62% of his second serves. In contrast, Rublev won 76% of his first serve points but only managed 56% on his second serves.

Rublev, who was a finalist in Shanghai in 2023, previously reached the finals three years ago but lost to Hubert Hurkacz. This year, he has secured only one tour-level title, the Nordea Open, and has yet to win the Shanghai Masters, having reached the round of 32 in 2024.

Next, Sakamoto will face Alex de Minaur in the third round. De Minaur received a walkover in the round of 64 against Alex Molcan.

Recently, De Minaur withdrew from the China Open final against Novak Djokovic due to a left thigh injury.

Earlier in the tournament, Hubert Hurkacz defeated James Duckworth in the round of 128, setting up a round-of-64 match against Djokovic.