Novak Djokovic is into his first Shanghai Masters final since 2018 after taking down Taylor Fritz in his 10th win in a row against the American with no reply. He sets up a titanic tussle of epic proportions against Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic saw off Fritz 6-4, 7-6 to seal the win who was looking to set up a repeat with Jannik Sinner of their US Open final. But it is always a matchup that he struggles in albeit this time was slightly different as he didn't lie down meekly against the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
In fact it could've been a wholly different story had he taken set points in the second. The first was the story of a break as Djokovic took a 3-2 lead and could've led 4-3 in reality against him. But it ended up being a set win anyway as he claimed it 6-4 in no time at all to potentially signal another crushing win.
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But it wasn't to be with Fritz fighting until the end. Saving break points at 3-2 up, he also had chances himself to go 5-3 up on the great Serbian. But he didn't take them and he got out of trouble and it got sent all the way to a tie-break as a natural conclusion.
Fritz had a set dart going 5-3 and 6-5 up. But Djokovic fought back to 6-6 and won the next two points rapidly to shut down any hope of another set. It is his first Shanghai final since 2018 and he has done so in style this week in a superb effort.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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