There are only three all-seeded third-round matchups in the top half of the Shanghai draw, among them Jiri Lehecka vs. Denis Shapovalov and Daniil Medvedev vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Those four guys will take the court on Monday.
(23) Denis Shapovalov vs. (15) Jiri Lehecka
Lehecka and Shapovalov will be squaring off for the third time in their careers when they meet in round three of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Monday. They have split their two previous encounters, both on indoor hard courts; Lehecka prevailed 6-4, 6-4 at the 2022 Rotterdam tournament before Shapovalov cruised 6-2, 6-1 last season in Belgrade.
Consistency is not exactly either one of these players’ forte, but Lehecka has produced a string of impressive results coming down the stretch of 2025. The 19th-ranked Czech reached the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati, made a quarterfinal run at the U.S. Open, beat Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe in Davis Cup qualifying to lead his country past the United States, and opened in Shanghai with a straight-set defeat of Quentin Halys. Shapovalov is 1-1 on the Asian swing so far with an immediate loss in Tokyo to Daniel Altmaier and a 6-3, 6-2 rout of Christopher O’Connell on Saturday. The 24th-ranked Canadian will bring the flair, but Lehecka should be too solid.
Pick: Lehecka in 3
Learner Tien vs. (30) Cameron Norrie
Tien has to be running on fumes, especially given the extremely humid conditions in Shanghai. The 19-year-old American is 6-1 in his last seven matches dating back to Beijing and in five of those six victories he has come back from a set down to win in three. Following his runner-up performance last week (lost to Jannik Sinner), Tien has gotten right back in gear to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic (4-6, 6-3, 6-4) and Corentin Moutet (4-6, 6-4, 6-4).
Up next for the world No. 36 on Monday is a third showdown against Norrie after they split their first two contests, both on outdoor hard courts. Norrie got the job done 6-3, 7-5 at the start of this season in Hong Kong; Tien came away with a 7-6(5), 6-3 success in Acapulco. The 33rd-ranked Brit outlasted an in-form Arthur Cazaux in a third-set tiebreaker on Saturday, improving his record for the year to a respectable 27-22. This is going to be an energy-sapping contest between two left-handers who are more than happy to play grueling baseline rallies. Considering Tien’s heavy workload of late, Norrie will likely have the edge.
Pick: Norrie in 3
WWW?
I disagree. Shapovalov in 3. Around this time last season Shapovalov won the title in straight sets to defeat Lehecka in the Belgrade final. Shapovalov has had a relatively disappointing year yet again but this is the time of the year he normally comes alive based on his recent trends.
Lol
welp
No fumes for Tien, not like there wouldb e anyway since he had 2 retirements last week and is playing well.