Shanghai, 18 October (H.S.): Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina produced a remarkable comeback on Sunday to win the Shanghai Masters title, defeating fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a thrilling three-set final. The 27-year-old secured the first ATP Masters 1000 title of his career after a fiercely contested encounter that lasted two hours and 28 minutes.

Davidovich Fokina was trailing by a set and a break at one stage but fought back with patience, resilience and powerful tennis to turn the match around. After losing the opening set 1-6, he clinched the second in a tiebreak to level the contest before maintaining his momentum in the deciding set.

Currently ranked 26th in the world, Davidovich Fokina had lost his first five tour-level finals of his career but has now won three consecutive finals. Earlier this season, he claimed ATP 250 titles in Mallorca and Chengdu. He returned to competition in Chengdu after spending two months away from the court due to a back injury.

Thrilling Route to the Title

Davidovich Fokina’s journey to the Shanghai final was marked by several hard-fought encounters. In the third round, he saved a match point against American Frances Tiafoe. He subsequently overcame Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz and top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, recovering from a set down in both matches to secure his place in the final.

The final, played at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, began with an aggressive display from the 20-year-old Jodar. He broke Davidovich Fokina’s serve in the second and sixth games to take the opening set 6-1.

Jodar continued to apply pressure in the second set, establishing a 3-2 lead. However, Davidovich Fokina responded immediately by breaking his opponent’s serve. Jodar later earned five break points as he sought to regain the advantage, but Davidovich Fokina held his nerve under pressure. He went on to win the tiebreak and force the match into a deciding third set.

Both players exchanged service breaks early in the final set. Davidovich Fokina then secured a crucial break in the fifth game and held his serve thereafter to seal the championship.

An Emotional Milestone

Reflecting on his victory, Davidovich Fokina said he was struggling to find words to describe the moment.

“I have no words right now. My mind is completely blank. I don’t know what to say or how I’m feeling. It is a huge relief. After the first set, I had to keep pushing and maintain the pressure, just as I had done in every match throughout the tournament. In the tiebreak, I trusted myself once again and focused on the ball. He was playing some fantastic tennis,” he said.

He added that his physical condition may have given him a slight advantage in the deciding set.

“Physically, I was probably a little better in the third set. He is a fantastic player, and it was extremely difficult to play against him today,” Davidovich Fokina said.

The title triumph is expected to help Davidovich Fokina return to the ATP rankings’ top 20. He reached a career-high ranking of 14th in November last year.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar