Shanghai Masters: Davidovich Fokina comes from a set down to beat Zverev and reach the final

Alexander Zverev took the first set 7-5 in the Shanghai Masters semifinal on Saturday. The rest belonged to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours 4 minutes, and a place in the final on Sunday.

A nine-minute game, then the turn

At 1-2 in the second set, Davidovich Fokina reached his first break point at 30-40. Zverev saved two in a nine-minute service game and held. The set still slipped away from him 6-4, and the third went 6-3. No tie break in the match: the sets were decided by breaks of serve. El Confidencial described the German hampered by foot and shoulder trouble, with a slight limp late in the match.

The throne does not move

The defeat costs Zverev nothing in the rankings: the year-end number one spot has been his since he reached the semifinals, with Jannik Sinner absent, and he cannot climb to the top of the rankings before 2 November in any case. He leaves the Asian swing without a title, two days after a controlled 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win over Alex de Minaur. “I felt good and I’m happy with the step up from the last couple of matches,” he told the AP after that win.

One chance in four, a final on Sunday

Davidovich Fokina, ranked 26th, will play the third Masters 1000 final of his career, less than three weeks after his Chengdu title. Before the match, the market priced Zverev at 1.29 with 1xbet and the Spaniard at 4.40 with Betano: about one chance in four for this scenario. Daniil Medvedev or Rafael Jodar, who came through the other semifinal, awaits him on Sunday for the trophy.