Alejandro Davidovich Fokina recovered to beat Alexander Zverev 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals on October 17. BongdaPlus, citing Reuters statistics, reported a contest lasting approximately two hours.
The Spaniard reached his second Masters 1000 final after finishing runner-up in Monte Carlo in 2022. He will face the winner of Daniil Medvedev against Rafael Jodar.
A late second-set shift
Zverev broke to lead 6–5 in the opener and served out the set. Davidovich Fokina responded with energetic baseline play and varied shot selection.
A moving backhand passing shot helped produce the decisive break in the final game of set two. He won it 6–4 to force a deciding set.
An early Zverev double fault then contributed to another break, giving the Spaniard immediate momentum.
Closing the comeback
Davidovich Fokina extended his advantage to 5–2. Zverev saved two match points and reduced the deficit to 5–3, but could not complete a recovery.
The third opportunity brought an opponent's error and a 6–3 finish. The reported statistics gave Davidovich Fokina 36 winners and an 82 per cent first-serve success rate.
He said sustaining his level had allowed him to find a chance in the second set, while the early deciding-set break reinforced his confidence.
The victory extended his winning run in China to nine matches after his Chengdu ATP 250 title in September. It follows an injury-disrupted North American hard-court period in August, with the Shanghai championship still to be contested.