Surviving in Shanghai: Sinner, Medvedev and Paul all rally to reach fourth round

Rain wasn't the only adversity that the ATP's top players faced on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Tommy Paul all dropped the first set of their third-round matches before rallying to reach the fourth round. The trio, along with Carlos Alcaraz, were the only players to complete victories on the day as the weather wreaked havoc on the schedule.

Read more: Carlos Alcaraz becomes only man to win 50 or more matches in each of the last three years

Top seed Sinner failed to capitalize on two set points in the opener against world No. 37 Tomas Martin Etcheverry before dropping it in a tiebreak, but rallied to win 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-2. The Italian dropped the first set of his first two matches last week in Beijing, where he finished runner-up to Alcaraz, and after a 6-1, 6-4 win over Japan's Taro Daniel in the second round, Sinner needed more than two-and-a-half hours to book his spot in the last 16.

"It was a very tough match, physically [and] mentally, so I am very happy to get through this one," Sinner said afterwards. "I felt like it was a tough set that I lost. I had my chances [to win the set], but these things can happen.

"Sometimes, you have to wait for your chances, which I have done, trying to stay calm mentally, and today that was the key."

Elsewhere, 2019 champion Medvedev, the No. 5 seed, dropped the first set to No. 29 seed Matteo Arnaldi but eventually improved to 4-0 against the 23-year-old with a two-hour, 44-minute 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 effort. Medvedev lost six of eight games from 3-1 up in the first set, but won four of the last five in sets two and three to complete the comeback.

“It was a very tough match, a very close one,” Medvedev said. “I actually felt like that’s where tennis is funny. I felt like in the first set, I was probably the better player, had more opportunities. I didn’t manage to [win] it, played a bad game at the end of the set.

“In the other sets, I thought it was closer. Maybe even he had the edge on some of the moments, but that’s why tennis is crazy. You can win when you don’t expect it, and lose when you expect to win, so I’m happy to be here again in two days.”

But the most impressive escape of the day belonged to Paul, who saved five match points in a staggering three-setter against No. 19 seed Alejandro Tabilo. The Chilean led 7-6(2), 5-1, and had all his chances on his serve at 5-2, but was unable to finish. The American, who also reached the last 16 in his tournament debut last year, eventually came all the way back in a 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-2 victory in two hours and 43 minutes.