Shanghai Masters: Jodar Stuns Medvedev As Davidovich Fokina Beats Zverev
Rising star Rafael Jodar continued his sensational breakout season by outclassing Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to reach his first Masters 1000 final, where he will face compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in an all-Spanish showdown at the Shanghai Masters.
Rafael Jodar downs Daniil Medvedev to reach first Masters 1000 final...
Rising star Rafael Jodar stunned Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Saturday to reach the Shanghai Masters final, where he will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in an all-Spanish showdown.
The world No.26 Davidovich Fokina fought back to stun a fading top seed Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
In the second semi-final, the 20-year-old Jodar beat Medvedev, a decade his senior, 6-3, 6-4 to deny the Russian former world No.1 a chance to return to the championship match he won in 2019.
Jodar, ranked 13th, started the season ranked 168th. It is his first final at the prestigious Masters 1000 level.
“It was very fun,” Jodar told the crowd afterwards, though he credited Medvedev for making the win “tough.”
“All the games were very close,” Jodar added.
“Super happy with how I handled the important moments,” he said, adding that he showed his “best level.”
The pair set the tone for a thriller as they pushed the opening game to 13 minutes, with Jodar holding serve valiantly.
They traded breaks and battled through gruelling rallies on a humid evening that left Medvedev, 30, leaning on his racquet and hunched over.
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, saved four set points but Jodar regrouped to take the first set when the Russian returned long.
Jodar needed a medical timeout before the second set but returned to the court technically excellent, racing to a 2-0 lead.
He broke to lead 4-3 when Medvedev double-faulted, and the Russian tumbled to the ground as he tried to save a match point.
Medvedev clung on for one more game to make it 5-4, but Jodar dropped no more points and fired down a decisive forehand to seal victory.
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