Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won his first Masters 1000 title in Shanghai on Sunday, October 18, defeating fellow Spaniard Rafael Jódar 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Reuters reported the comeback victory, which gave the 27-year-old the biggest title of his career. La Vanguardia said he became the first Spanish champion of the Chinese tournament.
Jódar dominated the opening set before Davidovich Fokina recovered to force a deciding set by taking the second-set tiebreak seven points to five. The champion then won the third set 6-4. La Vanguardia described a final in which the younger player's strong start gave way to increasing physical and mental fatigue as his opponent turned the match around.
The victory extended Davidovich Fokina's successful Asian swing after his title in Chengdu, according to La Vanguardia. AS reported that Shanghai was his third career tour title, following Mallorca and Chengdu this season. He had previously reached a Masters 1000 final at Monte Carlo in 2022, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Jódar, 20, reached his first Masters 1000 final by beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday, the tournament's official report said. That result made him the youngest finalist in Shanghai tournament history. The same report identified Sunday's contest as only the ninth all-Spanish Masters 1000 final, placing the meeting within a relatively rare series of national matchups at this level.
Reuters reported that Jódar's run strengthened his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin during his first full season on tour. For Davidovich Fokina, Sunday's trophy marks a new career milestone after his earlier final defeat in Monte Carlo. Shanghai now joins the other Masters 1000 events to have crowned a Spanish men's singles champion, according to La Vanguardia.
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