Muchova's Triumph and Shanghai Shocks: Breaking Streaks and Surprising Upsets

Karolina Muchova ended Aryna Sabalenka's winning streak with a victory in the China Open quarterfinals. In the Shanghai Masters, Daniil Medvedev and others advanced, while Aleksandar Vukic stunned Casper Ruud. Muchova will face Zheng Qinwen next, with more intriguing matches lined up in Shanghai.

Karolina Muchova brought an end to Aryna Sabalenka's impressive 15-match winning streak with a thrilling 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4 win in the China Open quarterfinals. Muchova's resilience saw her save set points in the first set and overturn a deficit in the third, prevailing after nearly three hours on the court. This victory further solidifies Muchova's impressive record against Sabalenka, now leading the head-to-head 3-1.

Sabalenka's streak had been ongoing since her win in Cincinnati and included her U.S. Open triumph. Meanwhile, Muchova is set to face Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, who fought back to become Beijing's first home-grown semifinalist since 2018. In an unrelated, but equally captivating development at the Shanghai Masters, lesser-known Aleksandar Vukic delivered an upset against the eighth-seed Casper Ruud in a momentous match.

Top names in Shanghai, including Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and American players Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul, sailed through their second-round matches. However, the spotlight was stolen as Vukic achieved the biggest win of his career. Looking ahead, Medvedev and Tsitsipas are both set to face challenging matches as the tournament progresses.

(With inputs from agencies.)