Alexander Zverev ran out of steam in his three-set defeat to the tenacious Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
A cold shower in the Shanghai sauna: Alexander Zverev has missed out on a place in the final at the ATP Masters in the Chinese megacity. In a semi-final that remained closely contested for much of the match, the future world number one lost 7–5, 4–6, 3–6 to the tenacious Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and appeared drained in the decisive stages against the world number 26.
For the 29-year-old Zverev, it would have been only his second appearance in the final in Shanghai. In 2019, Zverev stood no chance against Daniil Medvedev, losing 4–6, 1–6. The tricky Russian could now face Davidovich Fokina in the final, having defeated Zverev for the second time in their eighth meeting (previously in Toronto in 2023). Medvedev will play Spain’s young star Rafael Jodar in the second semi-final.
Following his semi-final defeat, it is now certain that Zverev will not be able to reach the top of the world rankings at the upcoming tournament in Vienna. Had he reached the final, a tournament victory in Austria on 2 November would have seen him become world number one for the first time. It has been certain since Monday that he will become number one this year.
In sweltering 29-degree heat with the roof of the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena open, Davidovich Fokina – playing in his fourth Masters semi-final (having previously reached the final only once, in Monte Carlo in 2022, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas) – was very solid from the outset and gave his opponent very few opportunities. At 5–5, however, Zverev was fully on his game and broke the Spaniard’s serve in decisive fashion.
In the second set, Zverev wavered several times and conceded the decisive break to lose 4–6. Davidovich Fokina now looked significantly fresher and, at times, played with a real sense of exhilaration. The man from Málaga quickly took a 3–0 and 4–1 lead, whilst Zverev’s resistance seemed only half-hearted. The Hamburg native saved two match points, but was unable to save the third.
