Alexander Zverev was denied a third big title of the season after losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters.

Zverev, set to be crowned the year-end world number one after his stellar season, was beaten by Davidovich Fokina in three sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. The Shanghai Masters final will be an all-Spanish affair, with Davidovich Fokina due to face compatriot Rafael Jodar after the 20-year-old’s victory over Daniil Medvedev.

The Paris Masters will mark the last shot at clinching an ATP Masters 1000 title in 2026 for Zverev, who captured his first two major trophies this year at Roland Garros and the US Open.

Alexander Zverev reacts after losing to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

Asked in his post-match press conference after the defeat to Davidovich Fokina if he processes losses differently, having now won two majors, Zverev replied: “I think it depends on the loss. I think if I feel like I could have done something more, then it’s painful for me, and it always will be painful, it doesn’t change what you won in the past.

“But if you feel like you’ve done everything that you could, and I feel like this tournament I, funny enough, I lost, yes, to Alejandro, who people will say, Oh, he’s ranked 20 whatever in the world. He’s playing well, first. Second, I feel like I’ve actually, in a way, maybe overachieved this week because of how much tennis I played.

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“I carried a little bit of injury, I carried fatigue into the tournament, and I’m okay to lose to a player like this today,” said Zverev, who was struggling with an ankle issue in parts of his Shanghai Masters campaign.

“I think it was a good trip,’ Zverev concluded, reflecting on his Asian swing. “I think I played a lot of tennis the weeks before. I’m going to repeat the same thing, I think. Beijing, I arrived one day before the tournament from the Laver Cup, and I played a fantastic match against Novak, which I lost, which can happen. Here, I was a bit tired. It’s how it is.”

Prior to the Shanghai Masters, Zverev lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic at the China Open.

Alexander Zverev says if he thought about retiring in Shanghai

Zverev’s right ankle had bothered him in previous rounds at the Shanghai Masters, but he had no issues with it against Davidovich Fokina. “Funny enough, my ankle in the early rounds was worse than it was today,” he said. “I think today it was actually fine.

“I think, again, anybody who watched the match maybe saw that I was moving a bit slower. I was maybe not running as much. But again, I’m not going to say anything new. I think it’s okay. I played a lot of tennis, which is a good sign for me. And I was able to be injury-free this year, which is also a good sign for me.”

As well as his singles run, Zverev had also featured in doubles at the Shanghai Masters alongside 43-year-old Brazilian Marcelo Melo, with whom he reached the quarterfinals.