Sinner wins Shanghai Masters to deny Djokovic 100th career title

AFP | Shanghai, China                                            

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World number one Jannik Sinner defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Sunday to win the Shanghai Masters. Sinner took a crucial break in the fourth game of the second set to defeat the Serb in 1hr 37min and deny him a 100th career singles title.

"He was just too good today, too strong, too fast," Djokovic said after the match. Sinner said it was a "very special day", saluting his opponent as a "legend" who kept playing "incredible tennis... year after year".

In a nod to former Djokovic rival Roger Federer, who was watching from the stands, the 23-year-old joked: "There are legends everywhere, I just try to keep up a little bit." Facing off before an impassioned crowd, neither player blinked in the first set, unable to break the other's serve.

Sinner quickly took control in the tiebreak, breaking Djokovic's serve on the first point and going 5-1 up. The Serb steadied himself but then netted a volley to bring up set point at 6-3. Sinner failed to convert initially but didn't miss the second time behind serve.

The next key moment came in the fourth game of the second set when Sinner was up 40-15 on Djokovic's serve. Djokovic saved one break point with a fiery ace but couldn't stop a superb forehand down the line from Sinner that saw him pull ahead.

All that remained was for the Italian to hold his nerve, hitting an ace to finish the match and claim the title. 'Tough year' Sinner's victory is the latest triumph in a formidable season, in which he has won two Grand Slams and retained the top spot in the rankings since June.

But it is also a year that has seen him embroiled in controversy after he twice tested positive for a banned steroid in March. In August, the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted Sinner's explanation that the drug entered his system unintentionally when his physiotherapist used a spray containing it to treat a cut, then provided massage and sports therapy to the player.

However, the World Anti-Doping Agency said last month it would appeal against the decision to clear him of wrongdoing and was seeking a ban of up to two years.

That news came as Sinner was contesting the China Open, where he lost in the final to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, who was also watching from the stands on Sunday. "This year has been very, very tough for me... At points I lost a little bit of smile," Sinner said on Sunday. "It's never easy to play in these kind of circumstances.

"I feel like I'm strong when I go on the court trying to not think about it... When I wake up I try to focus on every single (match or practice) I do, but then of course I have moments when I think about it which is not comfortable," he said. 'Deserved' win Djokovic said Sinner played "the big points better" and "deserved to win".

The 37-year-old said that getting a 100th title was "not a live-or-die type of goal", but he would keep trying. Djokovic became the last man standing from tennis' golden era after Rafael Nadal announced his retirement this week and said that, despite the loss, he was pleased with his performance in Shanghai.

"I played pretty good, which gives me, I guess, a reason to believe that I can still play with these guys that are the best in the world at this level," he said. "As long as that's the case, I guess I'll still feel the need to keep on competing and the motivation to be out there."