SHANGHAI, Oct 18 (Reuters) – Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ended Rafael Jodar’s dream run at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, battling back to beat his fellow Spaniard 1-6 7-6(5) 6-4 and clinch the biggest title of his career.
The 25th-seeded Davidovich Fokina is set to climb 13 places to a career-high world number 13 when the rankings are released on Monday.
Jodar, playing in his first Masters 1000 final and the youngest Shanghai finalist in tournament history, made a blistering start, broke for a 2-0 lead and again to take the opening set.
Davidovich Fokina recovered from a break down in the second set and saved break points in three successive service games before edging a tight tiebreak to force a decider.
The momentum swung decisively in Davidovich Fokina’s favour when he broke the 12th-seeded Jodar twice and sealed victory in two hours and 27 minutes.
“I have a blank mind,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I don’t know what to say and I don’t know how I feel. Just a huge relief.
“After the first set I had to keep trying, keep pushing. In the tiebreak, I believed in myself again. In the third set, maybe I had a bit more fitness physically.”
It the third ATP singles title of the 27-year-old’s career, adding to his ATP 250 triumphs in Chengdu and Mallorca this season.
The first meeting between the two Spaniards pitted one of the ATP Tour’s rising talents against a player enjoying the best season of his career.
The 20-year-old Jodar, who was ranked outside the world’s top 900 little more than a year ago, strengthened his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin in his first full season on tour.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Ed Osmond)
