By Jannik Sinner, the world’s top-ranked tennis player, thwarted Novak Djokovic’s bid for a historic 100th singles title, winning the Shanghai Masters final 7-6(4) 6-3 on Sunday. The 23-year-old Italian became the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.
Sinner’s victory denied Djokovic the chance to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only men to win 100 singles titles in the professional era. Federer watched the match from the stands alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
The match began with a tense, serve-dominated first set that went to a tiebreak. Sinner, who improved his tiebreak record this year to 24-8, took control early and clinched the set. In the second set, Sinner broke Djokovic’s serve for a 3-1 lead and never looked back, sealing the victory with an ace after 97 minutes.
“He was serving great the first set, I really couldn’t find a way to break him,” Sinner said post-match. “Then I played a very good tiebreaker in the first set, which gave me the confidence to start off well in the second set.”
This victory marks Sinner’s seventh ATP title of the year and his fourth Masters 1000 crown. He has now won his last three matches against Djokovic, leveling their head-to-head record at 4-4.
Djokovic, gracious in defeat, praised Sinner’s performance: “He was just too good today, too strong, too fast and well done. You’re having an incredible year. You deserve this.”
The match, attended by tennis legends and current stars, highlighted the ongoing shift in men’s tennis as younger players like Sinner continue to challenge the dominance of veterans like Djokovic.
