Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won the 2026 Shanghai Masters on Sunday, beating fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 for his first ATP Masters 1000 title. The 25th seed lost the first set badly, then won a second-set tiebreak and broke the 20-year-old in the third. A day earlier, he had knocked out top seed Alexander Zverev.
How did Davidovich Fokina win the final?
| Set | Davidovich Fokina | Jodar |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | 7 (7) | 6 (5) |
| 3 | 6 | 4 |
Result per the ATP, as published by ESPN.
Jodar dominated the first set. In the second, Davidovich Fokina held on to reach a tiebreak and won it 7-5. He then won the third set 6-4, ending Jodar's run of comebacks: the younger Spaniard had come from a set down in four straight matches earlier in the week.
How did he get to the final?
| Round | Result |
|---|---|
| Quarterfinal | def. Arthur Gea (retired after the first set) |
| Semifinal | def. (1) Alexander Zverev, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 |
| Final | def. (12) Rafael Jodar, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 |
The semifinal win over Zverev stood out. Davidovich Fokina broke with a two-handed backhand down the line to level the match, went up 4-1 in the third set with an ace, and closed it out on his third match point, according to ESPN.
"Today I was flat," Zverev said. "I carried fatigue into the tournament, and I'm OK to lose to a player like this today."
Who is Rafael Jodar?
He's 20, Spanish, and had a breakout week.
- Youngest semifinalist in Shanghai Masters history, according to ESPN
- Beat Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals and Daniil Medvedev, the 2019 champion, in the semifinals
- Came back from a set down in four straight matches
- Was playing his first Masters final; his only ATP title came in Marrakech in April
Why was this Shanghai so unpredictable?
The draw opened up early:
- Carlos Alcaraz lost in straight sets to Zizou Bergs.
- Novak Djokovic lost to Hubert Hurkacz.
- Ben Shelton lost in straight sets.
- Jannik Sinner is out for the season injured.
Alcaraz's loss also settled the year-end rankings. Zverev clinched year-end No. 1, ESPN reported. At 29, he becomes the oldest player to finish No. 1 for the first time, after winning the French Open and US Open this year.
What's next for the ATP Tour?
The Vienna Open (ATP 500) starts October 26, and Zverev is scheduled to play, according to ESPN. The Paris Masters and the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin follow.
