Jodar Beats Medvedev to Set All-Spanish Shanghai Final
The 20-year-old Spaniard becomes the youngest finalist in Shanghai's history and plays Davidovich Fokina for the title
Rafael Jodar, a 20-year-old Spaniard, reached the Shanghai Masters final by beating Daniil Medvedev of Russia 6–3, 6–4 in 1 hour 44 minutes. He is the youngest finalist in the tournament's history.
He plays Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, also of Spain, who beat Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal. It will be the ninth all-Spanish Masters final. The final is set for no earlier than 4:30 PM in Shanghai (4:30 AM ET) on October 18.
Medvedev, ranked sixth and the champion here in 2019, saved three match points while serving at 3–5 in the second set. Jodar then served out the match, ending it with a forehand winner down the line.
Jodar is the first man born in 2006 or later to reach a Masters final. He began the year ranked outside the top 100. A title would lift him into the top 10 for the first time.
Rafael Jodar of Spain beat Daniil Medvedev of Russia 6–3, 6–4 in 1 hour 44 minutes in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters. At 20, he is the youngest finalist in the tournament's history.
He plays Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, also of Spain, who beat Alexander Zverev, the top seed, 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 in the other semifinal. The final is set for no earlier than 4:30 PM in Shanghai (4:30 AM ET) on October 18. It will be the ninth all-Spanish Masters final and the first since Rafael Nadal beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Monte Carlo in 2017.
Both players had break points in the first set, and Jodar won it 6–3. In the second set he gave back a break, then won three of the last four games. Medvedev saved three match points while serving at 3–5. Jodar served out the match, ending it with a forehand winner down the line after a weak smash from Medvedev at the net. Jodar hit 22 winners to Medvedev's 14.
"It was a very tough match," Jodar said in his on-court interview. "In the first set all the games were very close, break points for him and break points for me. I am super happy with how I handled the important moments in the first set and how I served and returned. Daniil is a very tough player. He played great today, so I had to play my best level to play him."
It was the first meeting between the two. Jodar came from a set down in each of his first four matches in Shanghai, including against Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, and needed only two sets in the semifinal. It is his second Masters semifinal, after Montreal, and his first Masters final.
Jodar, the 12th seed, has won 20 Masters matches this season. The only man to reach that total younger was Nadal, who won 28 at 19 in 2005. Jodar won his first tour title in Marrakech in April and lost the Washington final in August, so he is 1–1 in tour finals. He is the first man born in 2006 or later to reach a Masters final.
Medvedev, a former world No. 1 and the 2019 champion in Shanghai, was trying to win his first Masters title since Rome in 2023.
The result moves Jodar closer to the ATP Finals in Turin. He is ninth in the race, which is effectively the last qualifying place because Jannik Sinner is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. He is 279 points ahead of Alex de Minaur in 10th. A title would lift him to sixth in the race, above Medvedev. If he plays in Turin, he will be the third player, after Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, to play there the year after appearing at the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Jodar began the year ranked outside the top 100 and is ranked 13th. A title would lift him into the top 10 of the rankings for the first time.
Davidovich Fokina, 27 and ranked 26th, has won nine straight matches in China, including the title in Chengdu last month. Against Zverev he won on his third match point after 2 hours 2 minutes. It is his second Masters final, after Monte Carlo in 2022, where he lost to Tsitsipas. The ATP projects him to rise to at least 15th when the rankings are next updated.