SHANGHAI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain came from behind to beat compatriot Rafael Jodar 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday, claiming his first ATP Masters 1000 title.
World No. 13 Jodar converted the first break point of the match and quickly built a 3-0 lead in the opening set before going on to take it 6-1.
Both players produced strong returning spells in an uneven second set. They eventually went to a tie-break, where Davidovich Fokina secured the set with an ace.
Davidovich Fokina was the steadier player in the decider, taking it 6-4 to complete the comeback against the 20-year-old Jodar.
"I have a blank mind. I don't know what to say, and I don't know how I feel. Just a huge relief. After the first set I had to keep trying, keep pushing, like every match in the tournament," said the 27-year-old after the match, adding, "In the third set, maybe I had a bit more fitness physically."
Davidovich Fokina then paid tribute to his team and his friend, France's Arthur Fils. "Arthur Fils is a very good friend of mine who missed a lot of tournaments because of injuries and managed to come back very, very strong. He was also very supportive of me," said the Spaniard, who finished runner-up at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters. ■
