Davidovich wins Shanghai Masters title after comeback against Jódar in historic final

Shanghai offered Spanish tennis a chance to fill a gap in its trophy record. According to ABC, it was the only Masters 1000 tournament Spain had not won before this final.

Rafa Jódar entered the closing rounds ranked 13th in the world. On October 14, he recovered from losing the opening set against Botic van de Zandschulp to win 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 and reach the quarterfinals, Infobae reported.

On October 15, Alexander Zverev beat Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals, according to L'Équipe. A day later, Daniil Medvedev defeated Tommy Paul 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to set up a semifinal against Jódar, the same outlet reported.

Davidovich produced the first decisive upset on October 17. Ranked 26th, he came back to beat top seed Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 and secure his place in the final, according to Al Jazeera.

Zverev attributed his defeat to fatigue. BBC Sport reported that he felt he had overachieved by reaching the semifinals given his busy schedule.

Jódar then beat Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 on October 17. The victory made him the youngest finalist in Shanghai tournament history, CNN Brasil reported, and ensured that the title would go to a Spanish player.

On October 18, Davidovich completed another comeback, this time against Jódar in the final. Infobae reported that he won in three sets to claim the first Masters 1000 title of his career.

Davidovich is the Shanghai champion, and Spain has its first winner at the tournament. The final delivered the national milestone guaranteed by the two semifinal victories, but the individual breakthrough belonged to Davidovich, according to Infobae.

Jódar finished as runner-up after his record-setting run to the final. The supplied final report does not give the set scores, so the confirmed result is Davidovich's comeback victory in three sets.