Alejandro Davidovich Fokina claimed the biggest title of his career on Sunday, recovering from a set and a break down to defeat fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters final.
Jodar dominated the opening stages and looked on course for his first Masters 1000 title, but Davidovich Fokina fought back, saved several crucial break points in the second set, and took control of the decider.
The victory gives the 27-year-old his third ATP title of 2026 and completes an impressive turnaround after losing his first five tour-level finals. It also extends his winning streak in China to ten matches.
For Jodar, it was a disappointing finish to an otherwise excellent tournament, having reached his first Masters 1000 final at just 20 years old.
See the full Day Twelve result, final recap, and match statistics below.
Day Twelve Shanghai Masters Final Result
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Def. Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina completed a brilliant fortnight in Shanghai, beating Rafael Jodar in three sets to take his maiden Masters 1000 title in 2 hours and 28 minutes.
The final was the first all-Spanish championship match at a hard-court Masters 1000 tournament, but for much of the first set, it looked as though the younger Spaniard would lift the trophy.
Jodar started solidly, breaking serve in the second game and immediately putting pressure on Davidovich Fokina with his aggressive groundstrokes.
The 20-year-old has a super effective backhand that rarely misses, finding the lines and changing direction to keep his opponent on the defensive.
He broke again to make it 5-1 with a clean backhand winner and comfortably served out the opening set in just 27 minutes. He hadn’t faced a single break point and was in complete control.
Things didn’t improve immediately for Foki in the second set, either, as he looked overwhelmed by the pace of his opponent’s hitting, and little suggested a comeback was on the cards.
Although Davidovich Fokina improved, Jodar broke again to take a 3-2 lead, leaving himself just three service holds away from the title.
However, we all know the beauty of the tennis scoring system, and things turned pretty quickly.
Davidovich Fokina immediately broke back with his typical athletic defence, chasing down a drop shot before sliding to make a passing shot and level the set at 3-3.
From there, the 27-year-old looked much more competitive, and while Jodar continued to hit the ball well, Davidovich Fokina got more returns into play, forcing him to work harder to finish points.
He also had to dig himself out of trouble on serve, saving a break point to hold for 4-3, then saving two more to reach 5-4 and two more to take the lead at 6-5.
Those holds proved crucial because Jodar kept creating chances, and had he converted one, the match might have been over in straight sets.
Instead, the second set went to a tie-break, where Davidovich Fokina held his nerve to edge it 7-5 and force a decider.
After the first set I had to keep trying, keep pushing, like every match in the tournament. In the tie-break, I believed in myself again and tried to play the ball. He was playing huge tennis.
The deciding set began with both players trading breaks, but Davidovich Fokina looked physically stronger.
Both players have had physical matches this week, but Fokina benefited from a retirement, and the younger Spaniard appeared to be feeling the effects of another demanding day at the office.
Davidovich Fokina moved well, retrieved plenty of balls, and forced Jodar to play an extra shot, while also finding opportunities to attack when the ball landed short.
He secured the decisive break for 3-2, then consolidated with a comfortable hold to move ahead 4-2.
From there, he maintained his advantage and served out the match on his second championship point to complete a superb comeback.
Interestingly, Jodar actually finished with more winners, 38 to 17, and won more points overall, 108 to 105. But Fokina delivered on the big points, especially in the second set, when he repeatedly saved break points to stay in contention.
I don’t have any words right now. I have a blank mind. I don’t know what to say and I don’t know how I feel. Just a huge relief.
The victory is Davidovich Fokina’s third ATP title of the season, following his wins in Mallorca and Chengdu.
Having lost his first five tour-level finals, including the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, he has now won three consecutive championship matches.
For Jodar, the defeat will be disappointing, especially after he was a set and a break ahead, but he started the season outside the top 100, has now reached his first Masters 1000 final and is above ADF in the rankings.
Match Stats
Highlights
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