Davidovich Fokina fights back to beat Jódar for first Masters 1000 title

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has finally won the big one. The 27-year-old Spaniard recovered from a lopsided first set to beat compatriot Rafael Jódar 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in Sunday's all-Spanish final at the Shanghai Masters, claiming the first ATP Masters 1000 title of his career after two hours and 27 minutes.

The win also closes a long-standing gap in Spanish tennis history. According to the ATP, Davidovich Fokina is the first Spanish player ever to lift the trophy in Shanghai, the one Masters 1000 event that had so far eluded the country. He becomes the 16th Spaniard to win a Masters 1000 title since the series began in 1990.

From a set and a break down to champion

For much of the opening hour, the final belonged to Jódar. The 13th seed, who earlier in the week became the youngest semi-finalist in the tournament's history and then dismissed Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday, played with relentless aggression to take the first set 6-1.

Jódar also moved ahead by a break in the second set, but Davidovich Fokina refused to fade. According to La Tercera, he won five of six games to turn the set around before edging the tiebreak 7-5 to level the match. In the decider, the younger man showed signs of physical and mental fatigue, and the 25th seed kept his nerve to close out the title. Roger Federer and Marat Safin were among those watching from courtside, Spanish and Chilean media reported.

Speaking afterwards, Davidovich Fokina pointed to his fitness as the decisive factor, saying his physical condition had been his biggest asset on the day. He also admitted he could not put into words what he had achieved on the Asian swing, adding that he never imagined winning two titles after spending two months away from the tour.

A run built on survival

Few champions have lived as dangerously as Davidovich Fokina did in Shanghai. The ATP noted that he saved match points in three separate matches on his way to the title: against Hubert Hurkacz, against seventh seed Frances Tiafoe and again in Saturday's semi-final against Alexander Zverev, whom he beat in three sets.

The title also represents redemption for a player whose only previous Masters 1000 final ended in defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo in 2022. It is his third trophy of the 2026 season after victories in Mallorca and, just weeks ago, in Chengdu. According to the ATP, only Jannik Sinner, with six titles, has won more this year; Davidovich Fokina now sits level with Carlos Alcaraz and Medvedev on three.

Zverev outhits De Minaur to reach first Shanghai semi-final since 2019

Rankings boost for both Spaniards

The champion's reward is a new career-high ranking. Reports from the ATP and La Tercera indicate he will enter the top 15 on Monday, rising to around No. 13 with 2,880 points.

Jódar, meanwhile, leaves China with plenty to show for his best Masters 1000 week so far. La Tercera reports he will climb to No. 11 in the world, and the ATP said he sits ninth in the Race to Turin, 279 points clear of tenth-placed Alex de Minaur in the battle for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals.

That race now moves indoors for the final weeks of the season, with Brussels, Lyon and Almaty starting on Monday before the ATP 500 events in Basel and Vienna, where Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have accepted wildcards.