World number three Alexander Zverev suffered a shocking first-match exit at the Shanghai Masters, falling to France's Arthur Rinderknech, ranked 54th in the world. Rinderknech defeated the third-seeded Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Monday. With Zverev's unexpected loss, Novak Djokovic is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament.

Zverev started strong, claiming the first set 6-4. However, Rinderknech found his rhythm in the second set, breaking Zverev's serve and taking the set 6-3 to level the match. The Frenchman continued to dominate in the final set, breaking Zverev twice to secure a 6-2 victory and advance to the next round.

This is not the first time Rinderknech has defeated Zverev; he also beat the German player at Wimbledon three months ago. Rinderknech demonstrated a high level of play in the last two sets to secure his victory in Shanghai. He will face Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the next round.

The Shanghai Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event, is taking place from October 1 to 12 at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. With Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal, defending champion Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic were considered the top contenders. Sinner has since retired during his third-round match with Tallon Griekspoor.

Other notable results from the tournament include wins for Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune. Alejandro Tabilo, Valentin Royer, Dalibor Svrcina and Aleksandar Vukic also had victories.

The Shanghai Masters was first held in 2007 and has become a favorite event on the calendar. From 2007 to 2017, it was a ranking event before becoming an invitational event in 2018. Ronnie O'Sullivan has won the title five times. Judd Trump was the defending champion, having defeated Shaun Murphy in the 2024 final.