Shanghai: In one of the most significant victories of his career, Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina stunned World No. 2 Alexander Zverev to secure a place in the final of the Shanghai Masters.

The World No. 26 overcame a set deficit on Stadium Court, prevailing 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 over the German in a tightly contested semifinal that lasted two hours and six minutes. It marks Davidovich Fokina's second career victory over Zverev.

After narrowly losing the opening set, the Spaniard elevated his level during baseline rallies, breaking the top seed in the tenth game of the second set to level the match after 46 minutes.

Davidovich Fokina gained crucial momentum at the start of the decider when Zverev opened his service game with a double fault. Capitalising on the early break, the Spaniard maintained his composure on serve to secure a spot in his second career ATP Masters 1000 final.

"It doesn't matter what the result is; I am just thinking about every ball," Davidovich Fokina said in his on-court interview, as quoted by the ATP. "I knew that if I stayed in there for the whole match, I could get at least one chance, and I took it in the second set. Then in the third set, I think I was better physically. The early break in the third set gave me a lot of energy. I focused on just playing, not caring about the result, but enjoying it."

Although Davidovich Fokina failed to convert two match points on Zverev's serve while leading 5–2 in the final set, allowing the German to hold, he closed out the match on his subsequent service game.

Reflecting on his journey, the Spaniard added: "We are very privileged to be here and play this sport. I keep thinking a lot about what I want to do with my future."

Daniil Medvedev ousted in another major upset

Rising Spanish star Rafael Jódar delivered a stunning performance on Saturday, defeating former champion Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Shanghai Masters.

The 20-year-old Spaniard, ranked 13th in the world, dispatched the World No. 6 Russian 6–3, 6–4 on Stadium Court to deny Medvedev a return to the Shanghai final he won in 2019. The victory sets up an all-Spanish championship clash against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Jódar, who began the season ranked 168th, showed composure well beyond his years, navigating tight opening exchanges where both players traded breaks amidst punishing rallies on a humid evening. After breaking late in the second set, the young Spaniard saved three match points on Medvedev's serve before closing out the match on his own serve with a crisp passing shot.

"It was very fun," Jódar told the crowd during his on-court interview. "All the games were very close... Super happy with how I handled the important moments."

Acknowledging the challenge posed by the 2021 US Open champion, Jódar added: "It was a very tough match. In the first set all the games were very close, break points for him and break points for me. I am super happy with how I handled the important moments in the first set and how I served and returned. Daniil is a very tough player. He played great today, so I had to play my best level to play him."

Medvedev, who leaned heavily on his racquet between grueling points and required moments to catch his breath during the physical encounter, praised his opponent’s tactical execution.

"It was not easy, I was a bit tired but that's part of the game," said the 30-year-old Russian. "I think he was tired as well but he managed to do it better than me."

"He was better on the return than I was," Medvedev added, highlighting Jódar's top-tier trajectory. "He's top 10. It's not like he's 60 in the world and we're starting to talk about it. We never know who wins 25 Grand Slams, six, one, two. Let's see." (Agencies)