World no. 2 Jannik Sinner will not defend his Shanghai Masters title! The Italian faced Tallon Griekspoor in the third round and retired while trailing 6-7, 7-5, 3-2 after two hours and 40 minutes.
Jannik grabbed his right knee in the second set and retired after the fifth game of the decider, giving everything but suffering from massive cramps. Thus, the 24-year-old lost a chance to fight for valuable ATP points.
Thus, he remains far behind Carlos Alcaraz in the year-end no. 1 race, and the Spaniard will almost certainly secure his second year-end no. 1 season at 22.
Griekspoor fired 17 aces and defended all six break points, keeping the pressure on the defending champion. Sinner claimed two points more but missed a chance to seal the deal in straight sets.
He lost serve in the closing stages of the second set, allowing his opponent to force a decider. Things only got worse for the Italian, who experienced issues in the fifth game of the final set and suffered a break at love.
Jannik tried to continue but had to shake his rival's hands in the end, leaving the court limping and experiencing an early loss.
