SHANGHAI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ended Rafael Jodar's dream run at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, battling back to beat his fellow Spaniard 1-6 7-6(5) 6-4 and clinch the biggest title of his career.
The 25th-seeded Davidovich Fokina is set to return to the world's top 20 when the rankings are released on Monday. The 27-year-old reached a career-high ranking of 14th in November last year.
Jodar, playing in his first Masters 1000 final and the youngest Shanghai finalist in tournament history, made a blistering start. The 20-year-old broke for a 2-0 lead and again for 5-1 before taking the opening set.
Davidovich Fokina worked his way into the match in the second. He recovered from a break down and saved break points in three successive service games before edging a tight tiebreak to force a decider.
The momentum swung decisively in Davidovich Fokina's favour when he broke the 12th-seeded Jodar twice and sealed victory in two hours and 27 minutes.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
