SHANGHAI (AP) — Third-seeded Alexander Zverev lost to 54th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the third round of the Shanghai Masters on Monday.
Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the draw, looked in control after taking the first set but struggled the rest of the match and couldn't break serve again. Rinderknech got a break in the second set and two in the third to seal the victory in more than two hours.
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Jiri Lehecka, of the Czech Republic serves against Denis Shapovalov, of Canada during the men's singles match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Arthur Rinderknech of France reacts after scoring a point against Alexander Zverev of Germany during the men's singles match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, October. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts during the men's singles match against Arthur Rinderknech of France, in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, October. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts after losing a point to Arthur Rinderknech of France during the men's singles match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, October. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Rinderknech also beat Zverev in five sets in the first round at Wimbledon this year.
“This is huge,” Rinderknech said. “I had my first top-5 win at a Grand Slam at Wimbledon against Sascha and it happens again. I guess I am a bit lucky against him and able to play my best tennis. I need to play my best tennis to beat a guy like Sascha, at No. 3 for many years, such a steady player and a very good player.”
In the previous round in Shanghai, Zverev needed treatment on a toe injury before beating Valentin Royer in straight sets.
The 30-year-old Rinderknech has a career-best 23 wins in 2025 and is into the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event for the third time.
He will next play Jiri Lehecka, who defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4.
Earlier, seventh-seeded Alex De Minaur defeated Kamil Majchrzak 6-1, 7-5 in humid conditions for his tour-leading 36th win on hard courts this year.
The 26-year-old De Minaur broke Majchrzak’s serve five times to reach his seventh Masters 1000 fourth round of the season. Two of the breaks came after he dropped serve to trail 4-3 in the second set.
“I came into this week knowing how tough the conditions were going to be,” De Minaur said. “So the mindset ultimately is surviving, finding ways, and getting ready for battles every time you step out on the court. There is no such thing as easy matches, especially in these conditions, so I’m glad I was able to compose myself in the second set, get the break back, and finish it off in two. If we had gone into a third, it would have been very physical.”
De Minaur will next face Nuno Borges, who defeated Shang Juncheng 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3. Another win for De Minaur would see him hit 50 tour-level victories in a season for the first time.
Felix Auger-Aliassime converted three of four break points to defeat Jesper de Jong 6-4, 7-5. The 12th-seeded Auger-Aliassime was helped to his feet by a ball kid after slipping in the second set. He is 10-2 in August, with both defeats coming against Jannik Sinner. Auger-Aliassime will next face eighth-seeded Lorenzo Muzetti, who defeated fellow Italian Luciano Darderi 7-5, 7-6 (1).
Sinner, the defending champion, trailed 7-6 (3), 5-7, 2-3 against Tallon Griekspoor on Sunday when he retired from the match because of cramps.
Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who won the Japan Open last week, is not in Shanghai due to minor ailments.
American Learner Tien defeated Cameron Norrie 7-6(4), 6-3.
This story has been corrected to show it was not Zverev's opening match of the tournament.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Jiri Lehecka, of the Czech Republic serves against Denis Shapovalov, of Canada during the men's singles match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Arthur Rinderknech of France reacts after scoring a point against Alexander Zverev of Germany during the men's singles match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, October. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts during the men's singles match against Arthur Rinderknech of France, in the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, October. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Alexander Zverev of Germany reacts after losing a point to Arthur Rinderknech of France during the men's singles match of the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center, in Shanghai, China, Monday, October. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region will be a key focus as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States meet in Abu Dhabi on Friday for talks to end Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion.
The UAE’s foreign ministry said the talks commenced on Friday and are scheduled to continue over two days “as part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.”
The White House described the talks as productive and said conversations would continue on Saturday.
The three-way talks come hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during marathon overnight talks. The Kremlin insisted that to reach a peace deal, Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed but never fully captured.
Zelenskyy said after meeting with Trump that while the future status of land in eastern Ukraine currently occupied by Russia remains unresolved, the peace proposals are “nearly ready.”
He also reiterated his openness to establishing a free trade zone under Ukraine’s control in the country’s east, adding that he discussed the proposal with Trump in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday: “I think it will be positive for our business," Zelenskyy told reporters.
Friday is the first known time that officials from the Trump administration simultaneously meet with negotiators from both Ukraine and Russia. While it's unclear how the talks will unfold and many obstacles to peace remain, some see it as a sign that the parties are making headway in closing a deal.
Speaking in his evening address to the nation late Friday, Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian delegation attending the talks reported to him “almost every hour.”
“They are discussing the parameters for ending the war," Zelenskyy said. "Now, they should at least get some answers from Russia, and the most important thing is that Russia should be ready to end this war, which it itself started.”
He added that “it’s too early to draw conclusions about the content of today’s negotiations - we’ll see how the conversation goes tomorrow and what the results will be." "It’s not just about Ukraine’s desire to end this war and achieve full security - it’s also about Russia somehow developing a similar desire,” Zelenskyy said.
“Today’s meeting will be in the format of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, and afterward the Europeans will certainly receive feedback from us,” Zelenskyy told journalists in a WhatsApp audio message.
The Kremlin offered little detail beyond calling Friday’s meeting a “working group on security issues.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Friday that Russia's demand for the Ukrainian troops' withdrawal from the eastern Donbas region is an “important condition,” adding that there are also other “nuances” on the talks agenda that he wouldn't specify.
Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who participated in Putin’s meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, said “it was reaffirmed that reaching a long-term settlement can’t be expected without solving the territorial issue.” He described the talks with the U.S. as “frank, constructive” and “fruitful.”
Russia’s state Tass news agency reported that the discussions included possible buffer zones and control measures.
Peskov told reporters that the Russian delegation, headed by Adm. Kostyukov, is comprised of military officials. Separately, Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev will hold talks with Witkoff on economic issues, Peskov added.
The U.S. has confirmed Witkoff and Kushner are attending the talks in Abu Dhabi along with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and NATO’s top general, U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich.
The Ukrainian team includes Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s national security and defense council; Andrii Hnatov, chief of the general staff; and Kyrylo Budanov, head of the presidential office.
Hours before the Kremin talks, Zelenskyy met with Trump behind closed doors for about an hour at the World Economic Forum in Davos, describing the meeting as “productive and meaningful.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington from Davos, Trump said his meeting with Zelenskyy went well, adding that both Putin and Zelenskyy want to reach a deal and that “everyone’s making concessions” to try to end the war.
He said the sticking points in talks remain the same as they’ve been during talks held during the past six or seven months, noting “boundaries” was a key issue. “The main hold-up is the same things that’s been holding it up for the last year,” he said.
Russia’s bigger army has managed to capture about 20% of Ukraine since hostilities began in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of 2022. But the battlefield gains along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line have been costly for Moscow, and the Russian economy is feeling the consequences of the war and international sanctions.
Ukraine is short of money and, despite significantly boosting its own arms manufacturing, still needs Western weaponry. It is also short-handed on the front line. Its defense minister last week reported some 200,000 troop desertions, and draft-dodging by about 2 million Ukrainians.
Addressing the World Economic Forum on Thursday after meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy listed a litany of grievances and criticisms of Europe.
He chided Europe for being slow to act on key decisions, spending too little on defense, failing to stop Russia’s ”shadow fleet” of oil tankers that are breaking international sanctions, and balking at using its frozen assets in Europe to finance Ukraine, among other things.
“Europe looks lost,” Zelenskyy said in his speech, urging the continent to become a global force. He contrasted Europe’s response with Washington’s bold steps in Venezuela and Iran.
The former comic actor referred to the movie “Groundhog Day,” in which the main character must relive the same day over and over again.
“Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words: Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed. And nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say the same words again,” Zelenskyy said.
Hrabchuk reported from Kyiv, Ukraine and Manenkov from Davos, Switzerland. Josh Boak on Air Force One, Meg Kinnard in Houston and Aamer Madhani, Konstantin Toropin and Ali Swenson in Washington contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting on the development of domestic integrated electronics at the Kremlin in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin, in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greets U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff, center, and Jared Kushner at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin, in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greet U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff, centre left, Jared Kushner, second right, and Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin, in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
