Exhausted Zverev says he overachieved after Shanghai loss
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat top seed Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the Shanghai Masters semi-final to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final since 2022. BBC Sport
He will face Rafael Jodar in the final on Sunday. Masters 1000 events sit one rung below the four Grand Slams, and this is the biggest final of Davidovich Fokina's season.
Zverev struck first. He took the opening set 7-5, then the match turned. Davidovich Fokina won the second 6-4 and the third 6-3 to close out a match that lasted deep into the third set.
It was only his second win in eight meetings with Zverev. That record made the comeback matter. He lost the early argument and won the longer one.
Zverev was generous in defeat. He said he was okay to lose to a player like this, and added that he had overachieved this week in Shanghai. ATP Tour
He was spent. Zverev said he arrived in Shanghai carrying injury and fatigue, and had taken only one day off in total since the US Open.
His route showed why. He needed a third-set tie-break, first to seven points to decide a deadlocked set, to get past Alexander Bublik in the fourth round. He then beat world No. 9 Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday in the quarter-final to reach his third Shanghai semi-final and his first since 2019. Rolex Shanghai Masters
The schedule has been brutal. Two weeks earlier, Novak Djokovic had rallied past Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the China Open semi-finals.
For fans, this means a fresh final. Davidovich Fokina has waited four years for another shot at this level. Jodar stands in his way, and Zverev heads home convinced he squeezed everything from an empty tank.
