With family in tow, Nicolas Jarry has a very happy birthday in Shanghai

Oct. 11, 2023 was a great day to be Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean not only reached his first career ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal with a thrilling three-set win over Diego Schwartzman at the Shanghai Masters, but got to celebrate his 28th birthday with his family by his side.

No. 22 seed Jarry hit 44 winners in a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Schwartzman, ending a resurgent run for the Argentine that saw him beat seeds Jiri Lehecka and Taylor Fritz en route to the fourth round.

Jarry previously has never been past the third round of a Masters 1000, and his Shanghai breakthrough was made all the more special by the fact that his wife, Laura, and his sons, Juan and Santiago, have been on hand to share the experience.

And the elder of the two, Juan, stole the show after his dad's big win: The 18-month old ran on court to join Jarry in the aftermath, charming the fans in the process.

Jarry was later serenaded with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" by tournament staff, and also received a birthday cake—making him star of the second impromptu birthday party in as many days in Shanghai.

"I think this is my third or fourth birthday here in Shanghai," Jarry said. "Usually I'm alone, very far from Chile, and the time zone, we're opposite, so usually I'm, I don't have anyone to call, just in the morning or in the night. So to be able to be with them is very special.

"Since I was able to start a family, I've been able to shift the perspective a little bit bigger, greater, more sense of what's really important. I'm trying to be able to get strong with what it is to have a family, to have more motivation on court, or have a bigger goal than just winning the matches."

(The Jarrys welcomed Santiago in August, and his impending birth forced Jarry to withdraw from Cincinnati.)

Jarry's run to the quarterfinals puts him at No. 21 in the ATP's live rankings, and with it, will make him the top-ranked South American player after the tournament. A win against Grigor Dimitrov, who upset Carlos Alcaraz, will put the now-28-year-old into the Top 20 for the first time.

But milestones like that are no longer the most important thing, Jarry says, as long as he gets to have more days like Oct. 11, 2023.

"I'm very past rankings a long time ago. I've been focused a lot in trying to improve, trying to be happier, enjoying more my life," he said. "I'm trying to enjoy inside the court and outside the court."