Jodar reaches first Masters final, then loses in Shanghai

Rafael Jodar reached his first Masters 1000 final at the Shanghai Masters after defeating Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, then lost the championship match to fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in three sets on Sunday, October 18, 2026. Jodar beat Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 in Saturday’s semifinal, earning a place in the biggest final of his career. The victory came after a demanding run in which Jodar had come from a set down in each of his four previous matches. Against Medvedev, he won in straight sets for the first time in the tournament. The final ended 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 in Davidovich Fokina’s favor. Jodar had won the opening set and held a break advantage in the second. He also came within two points of victory in the second-set tiebreak, according to the post-match account. Davidovich Fokina, ranked 26th, recovered to claim the title; Jodar was ranked 13th at the time. After the final, Jodar said he was happy with how things were going despite not winning. He said small details in the second set and the handling of break points favored Davidovich Fokina. Jodar described the match as close and said he had given everything. The semifinal win over Medvedev, then ranked sixth,...