Zverev Survives Wu Scare and Ankle Fright to Reach Shanghai Third Round

Alexander Zverev came through a stern examination and a worrying moment to reach the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Friday, beating Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

The world No. 2 and tournament top seed was given a fright in the 11th game of the second set when he dove for a ball, grimaced and grabbed his left ankle as Wu went up 6-5. Zverev held serve to force a tiebreak and closed it out on his second match point when the 113th-ranked Wu fired long.

Wu, playing on a home wildcard, pushed the favourite far harder than expected in front of the Shanghai crowd. Zverev remains on course to finish the year as world No. 1 after Jannik Sinner announced he is ending his 2026 season through injury. The German next faces France's Quentin Halys for a place in the fourth round.