Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has spoken about how his mindset has changed after his stunning win against world No 2 Alexander Zverev at the 2026 Shanghai Masters.

World No 26 Davidovich Fokina downed Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai on Saturday. He now holds a 2-6 record against Zverev

After he was broken in the 11th game of the first set, Davidovich Fokina lost only nine points in the 10 service games he played across the second and third sets.

The Spaniard has now won nine of his last 10 matches in a run that started with his title run at the ATP 250 event in Chengdu.

Davidovich Fokina is aiming to secure his third ATP Tour title and maiden Masters 1000 crown. He was a runner-up at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2022.

The 27-year-old has climbed 11 places to world No 15 in the Live ATP Rankings after reaching the final in Shanghai.

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In an on-court interview with Tennis TV, Davidovich Fokina said: “Well, like every match that I played here, it doesn’t matter the result, just thinking in every ball.

“I knew if I stay all match, I can have at least one chance. So yeah, I took it from the second set.

“And third set, I think I was better physically. I was more excited than him after the second set. So the early break in the third set gave me a lot of power.

“So I just focused on: keep playing, doesn’t matter the result, no? Just enjoy.”

Asked if he has come back a “different version” of himself after his injury-enforced absence this summer, Davidovich Fokina said: “I think you can see it, no?

“In the end, it’s not easy when you’re out, so you have a lot of time to think. You don’t realise, when you’re on tour, we are very privileged to be here, to play this sport.

“For me, I think before I was not enjoying, I was very frustrated. And this kind of time gave me a lot of thinking to see what I want to do with my future.”

Davidovich Fokina will face either Daniil Medvedev or Rafael Jodar in the championship match in Shanghai.

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