Davidovich Fokina overcomes Jodar to claim Shanghai Masters crown

SHANGHAI, Oct 18 - Alejandro Davidovich Fokina triumphed over Rafael Jodar to secure the Shanghai Masters title on Sunday, overcoming the Spaniard in a grueling match. The 25th-ranked Fokina, who is poised to re-enter the world's top 20 following the release of the new rankings on Monday, demonstrated his resilience by defeating Jodar 1-6, 7-6 (5), and 6-4.

At just 27, Fokina had previously peaked at a career-high ranking of 14th in November of the previous year. Jodar, making his first Masters 1000 final appearance and becoming the youngest Shanghai finalist in tournament history at 20, took an early lead, breaking Davidovich Fokina's serve twice to lead 2-0 and 5-1 in the opening set.

However, Fokina fought back to level the match in the second set, overcoming three break points to force a decider. The momentum swung decisively in Fokina's favor as he broke Jodar's serve twice more, clinching the match in a hard-fought two hours and 27 minutes.