Alejandro Davidovich Fokina produced a major upset on Saturday by beating top seed Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The Spaniard advanced to his second ATP Masters 1000 final after a spirited fightback on Stadium Court.
Zverev, who has already locked up the ATP Year-End No. 1 ranking presented by PIF, took the opening set in a tight battle. The German, this year’s Roland Garros and US Open champion, looked in control early. Davidovich Fokina stayed composed and refused to drop his level.
After dropping the first set, the 27-year-old Spaniard raised his intensity in the baseline rallies. He levelled the match when he unleashed a sharp backhand pass on the run that brought the crowd to its feet. From there, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina grew stronger.
He broke early in the third set after Alexander Zverev’s double fault and never looked back. The 25th seed served cleanly and attacked with his forehand throughout. He finished the job in two hours and six minutes, recording his sixth career win against a top-five opponent and his first of the season.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina landed 82 per cent of his first serves and repeatedly targeted Alexander Zverev’s forehand side. He improved his head-to-head record against the German to 2-6. After wasting two match points while leading 5-2, the Spaniard held his nerve to close out on serve and spark an emotional celebration.
“it doesn’t matter the result, I am just thinking about every ball,” Davidovich Fokina said in his on-court interview. “I knew that if I stayed there all match, I could get at least one chance and I took it there in the second set. Then in the third set, I think I was better physically. The early break in the third set gave me a lot of power. I focused on just playing, not mattering about the result but enjoying.”
The victory extends Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s perfect record in China this autumn. He has now won nine matches in a row on Chinese soil after claiming his second tour-level title last month at the ATP 250 event in Chengdu. His Shanghai run has already included third-set tie-break wins over Frances Tiafoe and Hubert Hurkacz, including one match point saved against Tiafoe.
He arrived in Shanghai ranked No. 26 and has climbed 11 places to No. 15 in the live rankings. He is the fourth-lowest-ranked finalist in the tournament’s history.
(More to follow)
