Davidovich breaks the last barrier of Spanish tennis

Fernando Murciego - 18 Oct 2026 | 13:10
ATP ATP Shanghái 2026 Alejandro Davidovich Rafael Jódar

The man from Málaga comes back in a super intense match against Rafa Jódar to become the first Spaniard in history to win the Shanghai Masters 1000. This is the third title of the year for a completely renewed Fokina.

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Davidovich breaks the final barrier of Spanish tennis. Source: Getty

Alejandro Davidovich already knows what it is like to touch the sky in a Masters 1000. The player from Malaga conquered the title in Shanghai this Sunday after coming back from a final that seemed lost against Rafa Jódar (1-6, 7-6, and 6-4) in a match that had it all: the audacity of a new star, the resilience of a player who refused to give up, and an outcome affected by physical fatigue. 

Spain now has its first champion in the only Masters 1000 that had eluded it. And it has this title thanks to a warrior who never stopped believing. From the very first point of the final, a rally of over twenty shots, we saw a declaration of intent. Two electric, dynamic players ready to turn every exchange into a battle. But the parity did not last long. Rafa Jódar shot out like a cannon, as if he had been waiting weeks for exactly this scenario. The player from Madrid was tightening from the baseline, biting with his returns, and always finding one more gear than his rival. Davidovich tried to keep up, but every shot from his opponent seemed to pose a question without an answer.

The first break came early, leading to a 3-0 that illustrated the difference between the two players. Jódar was playing outstandingly; Alejandro simply couldn't find a way to challenge him. From the VIP stands, Roger Federer, Marat Safin, and Dinara Safina watched a historic final, with three former number ones as exceptional witnesses. In just half an hour, the player from Malaga was desperately seeking answers alongside his coach, Pepo Clavet. The player from Madrid, however, had no intention of conceding any. The 6-1 scoreline was as decisive as it was unexpected. Jódar, the youngest player to reach the Shanghai final, was halfway to making history.

When pressure starts to play its part

The second set changed the script. Davidovich began to find a bit more stability, and Jódar inevitably stopped touching perfection. The player from Madrid struck first again, taking a 3-2 lead, but then the possibility of closing the story too soon emerged when it still wasn't finished. With 50 minutes played, Alejandro still hadn't had a single break point. The first opportunity came shortly after, and the player from Malaga seized it: he broke serve and leveled it at 3-3.

From that point, the final turned into a survival exercise. Jódar began to feel the weight of the occasion, while Davidovich clung to every point as if it were the last of his career. At 5-5, the Spaniard had opportunities to break again, but Alejandro held firm and took the set to a tiebreak. There, when everything seemed to be heading towards an endless battle, the player from Malaga found the moment he had been seeking since the first game. With a 6-5 lead, he had a set point, which he converted with a body serve that Jódar couldn't return. The 7-6 sent the final to a third set and completely changed the landscape.

The warrior finds his reward

The final set was a test of nerves, legs, and endurance. The two players began exchanging breaks, a sign that the match was no longer being played solely with the racket. Jódar was feeling the effort of an extraordinary week, and Davidovich took advantage to pull ahead: 4-2, then 5-3. The title was just a game away. The player from Madrid, however, wasn't going down without a fight. He summoned strength from a dwindling reserve and pulled back to 5-4, though his body was starting to say enough, with cramps and difficulty moving.

The ball was in Davidovich's court. One game separated him from the greatest achievement of his career and from an unprecedented page in Spanish tennis. Did anyone doubt his winning mentality? Alejandro responded with a game to love. Without hesitation, without giving history one last chance to complicate things. The player from Malaga let himself drop, aware that he had just conquered his first Masters 1000 and that his name was already part of the history of Shanghai.

The victory also guarantees him the best ranking of his career, ranked number 13 in the world. It is his third title of 2026, after Mallorca and Chengdu, and only Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton have lifted more trophies this season. Jódar leaves without the crown, but with a final that confirms his immense potential. Davidovich, on the other hand, takes the biggest prize. Shanghai now has a Spanish champion. And national tennis, one less frontier.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Davidovich rompe la última frontera del tenis español