Alejandro Davidovich Fokina rallied from a set and a break down to beat Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Sunday and win the Shanghai Masters. The victory gave him his third title of the year and the biggest of his career.
The 25th-seeded Spaniard had lost the first five finals of his career, including the Monte Carlo Masters in 2022.
His other titles this year came on grass in Mallorca in June and at the Chengdu Open in China last month. Both were ATP 250 tournaments.
He clutched the Shanghai trophy tightly and then kissed it.
“I don’t have any words right now,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I have a blank mind. I don’t know what to say and I don’t know how I feel. Just a huge relief.”
A tournament of narrow escapes
Davidovich Fokina came close to going out of the tournament, saving a match point in the third round against three-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. He then rallied from a set down against future No. 1 Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
The 20-year-old Spaniard Jodar, seeded No. 12, was also appearing in his first Masters 1000 final. He looked set for a second career title after a dominant first set.
But as he did against Zverev, Davidovich Fokina fought back.
Court speed turns the match
He used his court speed to break back to 3-3 in the second set. He retrieved a drop shot by pushing a backhand pass down the line, despite being off balance. He fell on his back and spread his arms out to celebrate winning that point.
Jodar called for a trainer at 4-3 in the third set and had a massage on his right thigh.
In the next game, he grimaced in pain and clutched his left foot after slightly twisting it while running to the net. He then had a massage on his left thigh at the changeover.
“In the third set, maybe I had a bit more fitness physically,” the 27-year-old Davidovich Fokina said. “He’s an amazing player and it was very tough to play against him.”
Davidovich Fokina won on his second match point when Jodar, who beat former Shanghai champion Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal, could not return his serve.