Davidovich Fokina beats Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to reach Shanghai Masters final

A comeback from a set down

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, ranked 26th in the world, beat Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters semifinal on Saturday, 17 October. The hard-court match lasted about two hours and two minutes. Zverev, the tournament's top seed, won the first set after a break in the eleventh game, but Davidovich Fokina broke back in the tenth game of the second set and then took control of the decider. He led 3-0 in the third set and reached 5-2 with two match points available, yet he closed the match on his first chance after holding serve.

It is the best victory of my career.

He becomes the first Spanish finalist at the Shanghai event since 2017, when Rafael Nadal lost the final to Roger Federer. It is his fourth Masters 1000 semifinal, and before this week he had reached only one Masters final, in Monte Carlo in 2022, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Jodar awaits in the final

In the other semifinal, Rafael Jodar, ranked 13th, beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday. The 20-year-old, who turned 20 a month earlier, is playing his first Masters 1000 final. Neither finalist has won a Masters 1000 title, so the final on Sunday, 18 October will produce a first-time champion. Davidovich Fokina is chasing his first Masters 1000 title and his third of the year, after Mallorca and Chengdu.

Ranking race and Sinner's absence

Zverev had been on course to replace Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings, and that move is now delayed. The ranking published on Monday, 19 October still puts Sinner first with 10,950 points, ahead of Zverev on 10,070. Il Messaggero reports that a changeover is expected on 2 November. Sinner's late-season schedule is compromised by an injury that will keep him off the court until 2027, and he cannot defend points earned in late 2025. The same report says he will reach at least 95 weeks in total at No. 1 this year and could aim to regain the top spot at the Australian Open.

Zverev said at his press conference that a break is needed.

I think a break is now absolutely necessary.

He said he would monitor his fitness before the ATP tournament in Vienna, which begins in the week after next. He explained that he had a small injury and was also exhausted when he entered Shanghai. Losing in the semifinal means he cannot take the top ranking in Vienna, where a title could otherwise have put him first on 2 November.

Fonseca out of Basel

Joao Fonseca, the 20-year-old Brazilian and defending champion, has ended his season early and will miss the Swiss Indoors in Basel. He announced the decision nine days before the tournament starts. Ranked 29th, he has played no tournament for more than two months, since withdrawing before his third-round match in Cincinnati in August because of a stomach muscle injury. His only match since then came for Brazil in a Davis Cup home win over Switzerland.