Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beats Rafael Jodar after second-set tiebreak in Shanghai final

Jodar breaks twice to take the opener

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won the Shanghai final in three sets against Rafael Jodar. The completed match ended with Davidovich Fokina winning the second and third sets after losing the first.

In their first tour-level meeting, Jodar broke in the second game. A backhand winner secured another break for 5-1 before he took the opening set. He faced no break points and won all seven rallies that lasted longer than nine shots.

Davidovich Fokina recovers and forces a third set

Trailing 2-3 in the second set, Davidovich Fokina immediately broke back, converting his second opportunity with a sprint to the net. He then saved one break point to hold for 4-3 and two more to hold for 5-4.

At 5-5, Davidovich Fokina recovered from 15-40, keeping the set on course for a tiebreak.

He won that tiebreak 7-5 to level the match at one set apiece.

Fifth-game break decides the final set

The players exchanged early breaks in the third set. Davidovich Fokina broke again in the fifth game and maintained his advantage.

Jodar sought the physiotherapist's help at each third-set changeover as he struggled physically. Davidovich Fokina served out the victory, completing his comeback from a set and a break down.

Three converted break points, a Shanghai title

Davidovich Fokina converted three of seven break points across the match, while Jodar converted four of twelve. The champion finished with fewer service breaks than his opponent. Davidovich Fokina therefore converted a larger share of his opportunities, even though Jodar created more chances to break over the three sets.

Davidovich Fokina became Shanghai's first Spanish champion. It was his third career title, following Mallorca and Chengdu earlier that season.