The pair defeated Constantin Frantzen and Robin Haase 6–4, 5–7, 10–7 on Saturday, 10 October, winning seven consecutive points in the deciding match tie-break after falling 1–3 behind.
Zhang and Zhou set up clash with defending champions
Zhang and Zhou needed 86 minutes to overcome Frantzen and Haase at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center.
Their victory earned them a meeting with Germany’s Krawietz and Pütz, who are defending the doubles title in Shanghai.
The result gave Chinese fans another reason to celebrate as the home representatives progressed in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
Medvedev and Bublik fall to Liutarevich and Medvedev
Ivan Liutarevich and Daniil Medvedev also produced an impressive performance, defeating the powerful pairing of Alexander Bublik and Ben Shelton 6–4, 6–3.
Sander Arends and Luke Johnson claimed another notable victory, overcoming Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev 7–6(5), 7–6(5).
The results underlined the competitive nature of the doubles draw, with several established singles names unable to progress alongside their partners.
Second seeds Arevalo and Pavic suffer upset
Saturday also brought disappointment for second seeds Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić, who lost to Czech duo Adam Pavlásek and Patrik Rikl 6–7(5), 7–6(3), 7–10.
Pavlásek and Rikl recovered after losing the opening-set tie-break and secured the match in the deciding tie-break.
Seventh seeds Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos were also eliminated after Francisco Cabral and JJ Tracy saved three match points to win 7–5, 6–7(6), 15–13.
Harrison and Skupski begin campaign with win
Earlier in the tournament, top seeds Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski opened their campaign with a 7–6(3), 6–4 victory over Romain Arneodo and Santiago González.
The American-British partnership, playing together for the first time since winning the US Open, struck 12 aces and secured a decisive break in the second set.
Skupski described the performance as solid, noting that the pair needed time to adjust to Shanghai’s quick playing conditions.
Harrison and Skupski have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals after winning the Australian Open and US Open this season. They are still seeking their first ATP Masters 1000 title as a partnership.
Shanghai doubles draw remains wide open
With seeded partnerships already eliminated and local players advancing, the doubles competition has produced several compelling match-ups.
Attention now turns to the next round, where Zhang and Zhou will face the defending champions, while the remaining contenders continue their pursuit of the Shanghai Masters doubles crown.