The splintered racquets left next to Frances Tiafoe’s chair after a 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6) loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina told the story: There’s still plenty to play for in 2026.
Yes, the Grand Slam season has come to a close, but Davidovich Fokina and Tiafoe went full-tilt on Sunday in Shanghai, with pride on the line. In the end, it was the Spaniard who saved a match point to claim his first Top 10 win of the season, denying Tiafoe a chance to boost his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin.
It has been a breakthrough year for Davidovich Fokina in 2026. He won his first two titles, breaking the duck in Mallorca in June after losing his first five ATP finals. Last month, just to show the world it was no fluke, he won the Chengdu title, defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the final.
What was left to prove? Well, the 27-year-old had not earned a Top 10 win in 2026, but he took care of that in a heated battle against Tiafoe.
Davidovich Fokina saved a match point on serve at 5-6, ripping a forehand winner after Tiafoe had slipped and fallen backward on the court. Two points later, he converted his first match point, sending the American into a racquet-smashing tantrum (six smashes in total – BAM BAM).
Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Tiafoe had five break points in the final set – one at 1-1, three at 3-3 and the last at 4-all – and couldn’t convert any of them.
With a little help from shotmaking like this from Foki.
Tiafoe had to let the frustration out, but he quickly regrouped to give Davidovich Fokina his due at the net, sharing a hearty hug after falling to 3-2 lifetime against Foki. A disappointing loss, and one that could have been a win and a trip to the fourth round in Shanghai for the first time.
When he was done, Davidovich Fokina signed the camera with a little commentary on his form: “I am back,” he wrote.
Tiafoe, who falls to 44-19 on the season, is still in the running for Turin – he’s technically fifth in the Race when we account for Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal, so nothing to panic about.
For Davidovich Fokina, next up is a round-of-16 battle with Hubert Hurkacz. The Spaniard is now 13-36 lifetime against the Top 10, and 29-16 on the season. Sunday marked his first Top 10 triumph since he claimed two en route to last year’s Citi Open final in August.
Shanghai Masters 2026 – Men’s Singles Results
Sunday, October 11 | Round of 32
| Winner | Defeated | Score |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Alexander Zverev | Quentin Halys | 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 |
| Arthur Gea | (3) Ben Shelton | 7-6(5), 7-6(3) |
| (25) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | (7) Frances Tiafoe | 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6) |
| (9) Alex de Minaur | (Q) Rei Sakamoto | 7-6(6), 6-4 |
| (13) Jakub Mensik | (21) Francisco Cerundolo | 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 |
| (19) Alexander Bublik | (16) Brandon Nakashima | 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(5) |
| (26) Karen Khachanov | Adrian Mannarino | 6-2, 6-4 |
| Hubert Hurkacz | (WC) Yi Zhou | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
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