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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina rallied from losing the opening set and trailing by a break in the second to overcome Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters final on October 18, 2026, according to the ATP Tour. The 27-year-old captured his first title at the Masters 1000 level in two hours and 27 minutes at Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, improving to three ATP titles for the season. Davidovich Fokina will climb 13 places to a career-high No. 13 in the rankings released the following day, the ATP Tour reported.
The victory marked the first time a Spanish player has won the Shanghai Masters, a tournament that had previously seen finals appearances by Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Roberto Bautista Agut without a title, according to tournament records. Jodar, the 20-year-old 12th seed competing in his first Masters 1000 final and the youngest finalist in event history, started strongly by taking the first set in 27 minutes. The result bolsters Jodar’s bid for a place at the ATP Finals, with the ATP Tour noting he is projected to enter the top 15 alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Davidovich Fokina.
Davidovich Fokina recovered from a break down in the second set, saving multiple break points across three service games before prevailing in a tight tiebreak to level the match, Reuters reported. Momentum shifted in the decider as he broke Jodar twice, with the younger player showing signs of physical fatigue that required a medical timeout for a left thigh issue in the ninth game. The 25th-seeded Davidovich Fokina sealed the win on his second championship point after Jodar buckled under the pressure of a demanding week.
This Shanghai success represents the third ATP title of the year for Davidovich Fokina, who earlier triumphed at the Mallorca Open on grass in June and the Chengdu Open in China last month, both ATP 250 events, according to ATP Tour figures. He had lost his first five tour-level finals, including the 2022 Monte Carlo Masters, before turning his season around following a two-month absence due to a back injury. The Spaniard saved a match point against Frances Tiafoe in the third round and came from a set down to beat both Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev en route to the title.
In a post-match interview, Davidovich Fokina said, “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.” He added that he had to keep pushing after the first set, noting, “In the third set, maybe I had a bit more fitness physically. He’s an amazing player and it was very tough to play against him today.” The champion also paid tribute to his team and friend Arthur Fils for their support during his injury recovery, the ATP Tour reported.
The Rolex Shanghai Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 event staged from October 7 to 18, featured strong performances across the draw, with Austria’s Lucas Miedler and Neal Oberleitner claiming the doubles title by defeating Francisco Cabral and JJ Tracy 6-3, 6-4 without dropping a set in the tournament, according to official results. Davidovich Fokina’s win caps a productive Asian swing that included a 10-match winning streak in China and extends Spain’s strong presence in the men’s game, with three players set to occupy spots in the top 15 of the rankings next week. The result underscores the depth of talent in Spanish tennis amid a season that has seen several notable comebacks and breakthroughs.
