The ATP Masters 1000 tournament is being played on hard courts in Shanghai, with $11.2 million in prize money. No. 11 seed Fritz, ranked 12th, advances to the next round. Arnaldi, the world No. 37, was unseeded. Match statistics are provided by api.tennis.
Two sets decided by narrow margins
Fritz took the first set 7-5. He was more precise again in the second, closing out the win 6-4. The final score was 2-0 in sets: neither set was one-sided, with both decided by a two-game margin.
The Shanghai win was Fritz’s first after a run of three defeats. Before the tournament, he lost to Jaume Munar in Japan (7-6, 4-6, 3-6), Carlos Alcaraz at the Laver Cup (3-6, 6-4, 11-13) and Francisco Cerundolo at the US Open (6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 4-6). Arnaldi beat Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-1 in the first round in Shanghai. Earlier, at a tournament in Japan, he beat Ray Sakamoto and lost to Alcaraz.
The players had met twice before. Fritz won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in Acapulco in 2024, while Arnaldi prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in Washington in 2025. According to the rank.tennis rankings, Fritz has 2880 points and Arnaldi has 1386.