Novak Djokovic won his third Shanghai title beating Jo Wilfred Tsonga 6-2 6-4 scoring the third Beijing-Shanghai double of his career after 2012 and 2013. Djokovic won his ninth title of the year (three Grand Slams at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, five Master 1000 at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome and Shanghai and one ATP 500 in Beijing). He missed the chance to win the Calender Grand Slam losing the Roland Garros final against Stan Wawrinka. He played two more finals in Toronto where he lost to Andy Murray and in Cincinnati where he lost against Roger Federer.
Tsonga beat Djokovic in their last head-to-head match in the semifinals of the 2014 Roger’s Cup with 6-2 6-2. Before today’s final Djokovic led 13-6 in their previous 20 head-to-head matches. They met for the first time in the final of the 2008 Australian Open where Djokovic won in four sets. In Shanghai they met in the semifinal of the 2013 edition where Djokovic won in straights sets with 6-2 7-5.
Djokovic qualified for his 13th straight final of the year with winning streaks of 16 matches and 20 sets. He came into the final with 37 wins in his last 38 matches in China. He won five titles in Beijing where he extended his winning streak to 29-0 and three in Shanghai. Last week he dropped just 18 games in Bejing. With his 25th Master 1000 title of the season Djokovic overtook Roger Federer as the second best player in the history of the Master 1000 series behind Rafa Nadal who won 27 Master 1000 tournaments
Tsonga won his first title of the year in Metz. He has reached his first Master 1000 since the Roger’s Cup in Toronto in August 2014 when he defeated Roger Federer in the final. With his win over Rafa Nadal in the semifinal the player from Le Mans has moved up from Number 15th to 9th in the ATP Race to London
Djokovic brushed aside Tsonga in the first set cruising to 6-2. Nole broke serve in the first game for 1-0 and held his serve to love in the second game. Djokovic got the double break to cruise to 3-0. Tsonga recovered one of the two breaks for 1-3. Djokovic got his third break to love to pull away to 4-1. Tsonga went up 0-30 but Djokovic won four consecutive points for 5-1. The Frenchman saved four set points by rallying from 0-40 down to hold his first service game for 2-5 but Djokovic sealed the first set in the next game with 6-2.
Tsonga played more aggressively in the second set where he he saved five break points. The French player held his service game to take the lead for the first time in the match for 1-0. At 1-1 the third game went to deuce. Djokovic earned a break point but Tsonga saved it with his serve for 2-1. Djokovic won his service game for 2-2. Tsonga made a double fault in the fifth game to go down 15-40 but he saved the break point to take the 3-2 lead. In the seventh game Tsonga went up 40-0 but Djokovic drew level to 40-all forcing the game to deuce. Tsonga held his serve by saving the break point for 4-3. Tsonga faced another break point at 4-4 30-40 but Djokovic earned a second break point chance in the ninth game with his forehand but Tsonga saved it with a stop-volley. Djokovic converted his third break point in the ninth game to take the 5-4 lead as Tsonga made a double fault while he was serving at 4-4. Djokovic served out for the match in the 10th game after one hour and 18 minutes.
“The first set was quick. It’s not easy to stop him. He is very consistent on his return”, said Tsonga. “Today I didn’t serve well enough, especially in the first set. In the second I served a little bit better and it gave me the opportunity to have a chance on his serve. But finally I was not able to do it and he brke me at 4-4”, said Tsonga
Djokovic hit 18 winners including three aces and converted four of his 13 break point chances
With his third triumph in the last four editions of the Shanghai Rolex Master Djokovic has extended his lead in the ATP Race to London ranking reaching 14285 points
“Today the key was to get as many serves back into play to Jo because he has one of the biggest serves in the game. He has shown that in the second set, with some break points early in the second set. He came up with some aces, some big serves. I felt always in control of the match. I felt like I have done everything right, I have won many of my service games very comfortably. I didn’t allow him to get into the rhythm, get into the match.The match and the tournament went incredibly well for me”, said Djokovic
