Davidovich Fokina rallies past Zverev to reach Shanghai final

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina recovered from a set down to beat top seed Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters semifinals Saturday, October 17. He will face fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar in Sunday’s final.

The victory sends Davidovich Fokina into his second Masters 1000 championship match, four years after he lost the Monte Carlo final to Stefanos Tsitsipas. He entered Shanghai ranked No. 26 and has won nine consecutive matches in China, including his title run in Chengdu last month.

Davidovich Fokina broke early in the deciding set after a Zverev double fault. He missed two match points on Zverev’s serve at 5-2 before closing the match in his next service game. He landed 82 percent of his first serves and earned his first victory over a top-five opponent this season.

Zverev’s exit follows his securing the year-end No. 1 ranking during the tournament. The Roland Garros and US Open champion was trying to reach his second Masters 1000 final of 2026 after finishing runner-up in Madrid.