Pedro Luis Alonso
Alejandro Davidovich won the biggest title of his career on Sunday, fighting back from a set down to beat fellow Spaniard Rafa Jódar 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in the final of the Shanghai Masters.
For the 27-year-old from Rincón de la Victoria, it was his third title and his first at Masters 1000 level, after having lost five finals. He also became the first Spaniard to win in Shanghai, which was the only tournament in the category without a Spanish champion.
Jódar, the youngest finalist in the tournament’s history at 20, made a near-perfect start in front of Roger Federer, who was watching alongside fellow former world number one Marat Safin. The Madrid player struck winning returns and made no unforced errors in the opening set, while a tense Davidovich looked to his coach Pepo Clavet for answers.
Turning point
The match didn't start to turn until around the hour mark. Jódar broke in the fifth game of the second set, but Davidovich broke back and then saved two break points at 4-4 and two more at 5-5. A long forehand from Jódar eventually handed him a tight tie-break.
Davidovich broke early in the decider and immediately dropped serve, but a second break in the fifth game proved decisive. Jódar, who had been chasing a place at the ATP Finals and in the world top ten, needed treatment for cramp late in the match.
"You train every day to live moments like these," said Davidovich. "I was nervous today because it was another opportunity for me. I can only say thank you to my whole team and my family, because we’ve never stopped believing."
Over the week, he saved a match point against Frances Tiafoe and came from a set down to beat Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev.
The win lifts him to a career-high 13th in the rankings, ahead of Spain’s Davis Cup squad announcement on 26 October.