Shanghai Masters: Machac advance to a maiden semi-finals after upsetting Alcaraz

Tomas Machac reached his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final with a straight sets victory over the World no.2 Carlos Alcaraz.

The 23-year-old Czech Republic’s native snapped Carlos Alcaraz’s 12-match winning streak in an emphatic 7-6 7-5 victory to reach the last four at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Thursday.

“I knew that the level of my tennis would be great because I am playing the best right now, for sure,” said Machac. “I beat Tommy Paul [in my] last match with an unbelievable performance. With these types of players, I have to play this level otherwise it’s 6-2, 6-3 [and] you go home, there is no other option. I am happy I managed to play like this for two sets.

“I knew that I had a chance [to beat Alcaraz], but you never know, even with a set and 5-4 [lead] it’s still so far from winning the match. I played great tennis against him in the Davis Cup [in September], but there was this level [for] only one set. Today it was [for] two, so it was enough.”

Tomas Machac will face Jannik Sinner in his first Shanghai semi-final on Saturday. Sinner easily defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-1,6-4 reach earlier in the day.

“I am looking forward to it,” Machac said of his upcoming clash with Sinner. “I am really enjoying it and am happy that I can play against the best [players].”

Machac, who skipped the Rolex Shanghai Masters in favor of an ATP Challenger Tour match last year, is currently ranked No. 25 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.