Zverev falls to Davidovich Fokina in Shanghai – all-Spanish final against Jódar
Top seed Alexander Zverev lost his semi-final 7-5, 4-6, 3-6. In the final Davidovich Fokina faces 20-year-old Rafael Jódar, who beat Daniil Medvedev.
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Alexander Zverev's run at the Shanghai Masters ended in the semi-finals. The top-seeded German lost to Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5, 4-6, 3-6 in 2 hours 2 minutes on Saturday. Zverev took the first set with a break for 7-5, but Davidovich Fokina raced to a 3-0 lead in the decider; Zverev saved two match points. The world No. 26 hit 36 winners and claimed only his second win over the German in eight meetings. "But I keep going, I keep fighting, every ball," he said, according to AFP.
In the final Davidovich Fokina meets compatriot Rafael Jódar. The 20-year-old beat former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 and, according to AFP, is the youngest Shanghai finalist in tournament history. Jódar was ranked outside the top 900 little more than a year ago and is now in his first Masters 1000 final. "I'm super happy with how I handled the important moments in the first set," he said.
Their first meeting was scheduled for Sunday at 4:30 pm local time (10:30 CEST); the winner claims a maiden Masters 1000 title. According to the tournament, victory would lift Jódar into the top 10 for the first time and to sixth in the race to the ATP Finals in Turin. Davidovich Fokina, unbeaten in nine matches in China after winning in Chengdu, is assured of returning to the top 20 on Monday.