Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeated Frances Tiafoe at the Shanghai Masters, sealing a grueling three-set victory that propelled the Spaniard into the tournament’s fourth round. The hard-fought encounter saw Davidovich Fokina overcome an early deficit and a physical scare before prevailing 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6) in a match that stretched past midnight.

Survival Against Tiafoe in Shanghai

Tiafoe pushed the Spaniard to a deciding third set by breaking serve in the second, but a crucial slip by the American during the final tiebreak helped seal the outcome.

Overcoming Hurkacz to Reach the Quarterfinals

Davidovich Fokina advanced further in the draw by defeating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in a match lasting more than two hours, as detailed by El País and Europa Press. The victory marks the fourth comeback win of the season for the 27-year-old Spaniard, who is ranked 26th, and earns him a spot in his sixth career ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals—his first at this level since Monte Carlo in 2025, according to records highlighted by rfet.es. Having not competed since mid-July due to back problems that caused him to miss the US Open, he returned in China before falling early in Tokyo. As a result of his run, he will rise to at least the 23rd position in the rankings, approaching his career-high of 14th reached in November of the previous year. He also suggested a potential return to the Davis Cup under captain David Ferrer after previously opting out last year.

Reflecting on his turbulent performance on the court, Davidovich Fokina offered a blunt assessment after his win over Hurkacz. He empezado muy, muy lento de piernas y apagado… Hoy ha sido un partido bastante mediocre, pero he sabido estar ahí. Estoy muy satisfecho conmigo mismo, the Spaniard said in post-match remarks recorded by El País, translating to an admission that despite a slow and mediocre start, his mental resilience carried him through.

No sé qué decir, todo ha ido muy rápido, added Davidovich, emphasizing that he tries to stay mentally tough and fights for every point.

Broader Spanish Campaign and Next Opponents

The Spanish contingent at the Shanghai Masters experienced mixed fortunes alongside Davidovich Fokina’s run, with Alejandro Davidovich and Rafael Jódar emerging as the Spanish sensations at the tournament. Rafael Jódar advanced to the quarterfinals in his tournament debut by overcoming Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, setting up a clash with Norway’s Casper Ruud scheduled for October 16, 2026, at 08:30, as reported by rfet.es and Eurosport. With these results, Jódar has reached the quarterfinals of an M1000 event four times in his debut season on the circuit, adding Shanghai to previous runs in Madrid, Rome, and Montreal. Meanwhile, top seed Carlos Alcaraz exited in the third round following a 7-5, 7-6(4) loss to Belgium’s Zizou Bergs, while Pablo Carreño Busta fell to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Gea, a 21-year-old ranked 56th, advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Czech player Jakub Mensik, adding another unexpected hurdle to the late stages of the tournament after previously defeating high-level players such as Ugo Humbert (32nd) and Ben Shelton (4th). Other favorites on this side of the draw, including Australian Alex de Miñaur and Czech Jakub Mensik, successfully advanced through their matches.