World No. 1 Sinner sets up title clash against Djokovic
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner will chase his seventh ATP title of the year in the Shanghai Masters final after beating Tomas Machac 6-4 7-5. Victory ensured Sinner will be the ATP year-end No. 1 and the first Italian to achieve that feat.
His 64th match win of the year set up a final against Novak Djokovic, who overcame physical discomfort to beat seventh-ranked Taylor Fritz 6-4 7-6(6) and move closer to a 100th career title and a record-extending fifth at Shanghai. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also improved to 10-0 in his career matches against Fritz, who blew a 5-3 lead in the second-set tiebreaker and a set point at 6-5 up. Djokovic was clearly struggling for mobility and balance with his left knee heavily strapped, but US Open runner-up Fritz could not take advantage.
He lost a long rally at 6-6 and succumbed on the first match point when Djokovic stabbed a volley at the net and the American flicked it just long at full stretch. “I came here this year definitely with the vision or desire to get to the final and fight for 100 titles,” Djokovic said. “I’ve got that chance against the best player in the world.”
Earlier, Sinner weathered a nearly two-hour baseline storm from No. 33-ranked Machac, who beat No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. The Italian has a shot at his third Masters title in 2024 following victories in Miami and Cincinnati, to go with his wins at the Australian Open and US Open. “I just tried to stay there every point, to see what was going to happen,” Sinner said.
Second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka rallied from a slow start to beat an in-form Coco Gauff 1-6 6-4 6-4 in the semifinals to advance to her third straight Wuhan final and preserve her perfect record at the tournament. Sabalenka will face seventh-ranked Zheng Qinwen in the final. The Paris Olympics champion beat No. 51-ranked Wang Xinyu 6-3 6-4. Sabalenka will be bidding for her fourth title of the season, which includes the Australian Open and US Open. The Belarussian’s 16th straight victory at Wuhan ended Gauff’s own recent win streak at nine, including the China Open title last week.
