Davidovich Fokina upsets Zverev
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SHANGHAI (AP):
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina upset future world No. 1 Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Shanghai Masters final yesterday.
The 25th-seeded Spaniard, who won the ATP 250 Chengdu Open in China last month, advanced to the second Masters final of his career after finishing runner-up on clay in Monte Carlo in 2022.
He will bid for the third title of his career against fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar, 20, who also produced a major upset by defeating 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first Masters final.
Medvedev saved three match points while serving at 5-3 down before holding serve. However, Jodar closed out the match on his own serve, drilling a forehand winner down the line after Medvedev’s tame smash at the net sat up invitingly.
The 12th-seeded Jodar is chasing his second career title after winning on clay at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, Morocco, in April.
Zverev feels fatigued
Earlier yesterday, top seed Zverev, who recently secured the year-end No. 1 ranking, served out the opening set with an ace.
However, the German soon came under pressure, saving two break points in the fourth game of the second set.
Davidovich Fokina eventually broke Zverev with a brilliant two-handed backhand down the line to level the match, and an ace helped him open a 4-1 lead in the deciding set.
“Today I was flat. Even in the first set, even though I won the set,” Zverev said. “I was not reacting so well. I was returning quite badly.”
Trailing 15-40 on serve in the eighth game, Zverev saved two match points. But Davidovich Fokina held his nerve and secured victory on his third match point when Zverev failed to return a sliced serve on the forehand side.
“I feel like I’ve actually, in a way, maybe overachieved this week because of how much tennis I played,” Zverev added. “I carried fatigue into the tournament, and I’m okay to lose to a player like this today.”
Zverev is scheduled to compete at the ATP 500 event in Vienna, which begins on October 26 and could see him face seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.