By tf-lawyer.com On October 13th, during the men’s singles final at the Shanghai Masters, top seed and world number one Jannik Sinner triumphed over fourth seed Novak Djokovic with a score of 2-0 (7-6, 6-3), claiming his first victory at this prestigious tournament.
Sinner, who has had a remarkable season with two Grand Slam titles, showcased exceptional form. The Italian star reached the finals back-to-back, having recently finished as the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the China Open.
This marked the 59th time that the 37-year-old Serbian superstar Djokovic reached a Masters final, and his first of the season. Djokovic has an impressive career record with 99 titles, including four championships at the Shanghai Masters.
This match was the eighth encounter between the two players. Historically, Djokovic held a slight edge, leading the head-to-head record 4-3. However, Sinner emerged victorious in their last two meetings, including a semifinal match at this year’s Australian Open.
Before the final, Djokovic praised Sinner’s phenomenal performance over the past year: “Sinner has been playing incredibly well and is currently the best player in the world. His consistency, especially on hard courts, has been remarkable.” Thanks to his outstanding season, Sinner has already clinched the year-end number one ranking.
In the first set of the final, Sinner continued to demonstrate his good form while Djokovic was also playing well. Both players showcased strong control during their service games, leading to a tie at 6-6. In the tiebreaker, Sinner’s powerful serves gave him the upper hand. Although Djokovic attempted to catch up, a series of unforced errors ultimately cost him the first set.
As the second set progressed, Djokovic’s serve and return quality began to wane. The younger Sinner seized the opportunity to break serve and maintained his advantage throughout the set. Djokovic struggled to find opportunities to break back, ultimately leading to Sinner’s victory.
