Davidovich wins Shanghai, the first Spaniard ever to lift the Masters 1000 title
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina came from a set down to beat 20-year-old Rafael Jódar 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 in an all-Spanish final and win the biggest title of his career. Nadal, Ferrer and Bautista had all fallen short in Shanghai.
Shanghai finally has a Spanish champion. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Rafael Jódar 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 in Sunday’s final to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title, the biggest of his career. Four Spaniards had lost the final here before him: Rafael Nadal in 2009 and 2017, David Ferrer in 2011 and Roberto Bautista Agut in 2016.
A comeback of almost two and a half hours
Davidovich Fokina lost the first set and trailed 2-3 with a break down in the second. He turned it around in the tie-break and closed out the match after 2 hours and 28 minutes, according to the ATP.
His whole week was about resilience: he saved a match point against Frances Tiafoe in the third round and came back from a set down against Hubert Hurkacz and top seed Alexander Zverev.
A final with a future
It was the first all-Spanish Masters 1000 final since Monte-Carlo 2017. Jódar, 20, started the year outside the top 150 and is the first player born in 2006 to reach a final at this level.
Davidovich Fokina, who lost his first five tour-level finals, has now won his last three: Mallorca, Chengdu and Shanghai.
