Roman Safiullin defeated Alexis Galarneau 6–3, 6–0 in the semifinal of the Shanghai Masters. The Russian dominated from the first ball and denied his Canadian opponent a single game in the second set, advancing to the next round of the ATP Masters 1000 hardcourt event without dropping a set.
Safiullin pulls clear early
The opening set developed into a contest in which Safiullin set the tone from the outset. The right-handed Russian took control from the baseline, forcing Galarneau into extended rallies under pressure. The Canadian rarely found an answer to Safiullin's changes of pace and was unable to convert consistently on return.
The numbers from that phase underlined Safiullin's dominance. He won 76 percent of points on his first serve, keeping Galarneau largely at bay. Overall, Safiullin won 80 percent of his service games, while his opponent struggled to find any foothold in the exchanges.
Galarneau loses his grip in the second set
After taking the first set, Safiullin remained ruthless. Galarneau could not shake off the pressure and failed to win a single game in the second set. Safiullin hit with precision from the baseline, varied the depth of his shots and attacked the Canadian's serve early. The set was markedly more one-sided than the first.
Particularly striking was Safiullin's strength on return, where he won 61 percent of points and repeatedly put Alexis Galarneau under immediate pressure. Galarneau had little opportunity to settle into any kind of controlled rhythm on his own serve. Safiullin built his advantages through a combination of solid baseline play and relentless follow-through.
Statistics tell the full story
The match statistics reflected the balance of power throughout. Safiullin won 64 percent of all points and struck ten winners. Alexis Galarneau managed six winners while committing 18 unforced errors. Safiullin stayed more disciplined with 12 unforced errors, keeping his mistake count noticeably lower.
On serve, Safiullin held serve in 88 percent of his service games. Galarneau landed 73 percent of his first serves, but was unable to capitalise on them. On second serve, Safiullin won 50 percent of points, while Galarneau applied far less pressure in those situations. Three double faults from the Russian did nothing to disturb his clear command of the match.
Head-to-head record extended
This was Safiullin's second recorded win over Galarneau. Their only previous documented meeting had come in March 2022 at the Saint-Brieuc Challenger on indoor hard courts, which Safiullin won in two tiebreaks. He again controlled proceedings this time around, though without any of the tight moments that had characterised that earlier encounter.
Safiullin had entered Shanghai as the second seed in qualifying and backed up that status with a focused, composed performance. Alexis Galarneau, who turned fully professional in 2021 after playing college tennis at North Carolina State University, found no answer to the Russian's pace and precision. After a commanding victory, Safiullin now turns his attention to his next challenge at the Shanghai Masters.
