Jodar, Auger-Aliassime rally back in Shanghai Masters to reach in third round

Shanghai: Rafael Jodar and Felix Auger-Aliassime registered come-from-behind wins in their second-round clashes at the Shanghai Masters to reach the round of 32 here on Saturday.

12th seed Jodar defeated Thiago Agustin Tirante 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to make his way into the next round on his debut. Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime overcame a stern test from Camilo Ugo Carabelli to win 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 in a marathon two-hour and 58-minute contest.

Jodar has been enjoying a strong season as he climbed from outside the Top 100 in rankings in January to No.13 and is now looking to break in the top 10.

He won his maiden tour-level title in April 2026 in Marrakech and was also a quarterfinalist at the French Open. However, he needed a strong performance in Shanghai after having suffered early exits at the US Open 2026 and in Japan Open recently.

The Spaniard won 93 per cent of his first-serve points in the second set after conceding the first set. He also saved nine of the 10 break points he faced during the match and broke his opponent three times to bag a strong win.

Meanwhile, things were much tighter for Auger-Aliassime, who had to battle a second-set tie-break and dig deep in the third to secure a win. The Canadian squandered a 5-2 lead in the second set as it went down the wire in the tie-break before he clinched it.

Auger-Aliassime then made a decisive break in the third set in the 11th game to close the set and win the match.

Earlier, Daniil Medvedev also came through a three-set clash after defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to march into the third round. Medvedev now has 31 wins on the hard courts in 2026, along with his Dubai, Brisbane and Hangzhou titles on the surface. He is a 2019 champion in Shanghai and will be up against either Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Dalibor Svrcina in the round of 32.

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