Second seed Novak Djokovic has won the Shanghai Rolex Masters for the first time since 2015 after defeating Borna Coric 6-3, 6-4, in the final.
The clash at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena was one of two worlds. 14-time grand slam champion Djokovic was contesting his 46th Masters 1000 final. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Coric was playing in his first. It was inevitable that experience would prove a factor in the match, but the most significant was Djokovic’s sublime defensive skills. In total the 31-year-old hit 18 winners to 17 unforced errors. He was also able to continue his trend set during the tournament of not dropping serve throughout a match. Djokovic is only the third player in history to have won a Masters 1000 title without dropping serve. Following in the footsteps of Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev.
“This is one of the most successful Masters events in the world and I have been playing well throughout my career in China. Especially in Shanghai.” Said Djokovic, who is the first player to have won the Shanghai title for the fourth time.
“Back in 2008 I won my first Masters Cup and that opened a lot of doors for me and made me the player that I am today. This is definitely a special place for me”
Despite being separated by 16 places in the ATP rankings, there was little disparity between both players during the start of the match. Coric, who knocked out Roger Federer in the semifinals, hit a variety of blistering shots that triggered some masterful defensive skills from the Serbian. Ultimately, it was a single break in Djokovic’s favour that decided the outcome of the opener. An eight-minute sixth game concluded with back-to-back mistakes from the Croat. Elevating Djokovic to a 4-2 lead. From then on, the Serbian cruised to a 6-3 lead against his increasingly frustrated opponent. Closing it out with a love service game.
With Djokovic in the driving seat, he continued to benefit from some costly mistakes from Coric. One of the most notable was at the start of set two when the world No.19 hit a smash out to grant the reigning Wimbledon champion a set and a break lead. Following the blow dealt to Coric, Djokovic was forced to battle hard against his resilient rival to claim his 32nd Masters title. Fending off a breakpoint midway through the second set.
Crossing the finish line was by no means an easy task for the former world No.1. Leading 6-3, 5-3, Djokovic saw three championship points come and go due to some emphatic play from Coric. Nevertheless, he prevailed a game later after Coric shot drifted beyond the baseline.
Champion in Shanghai!@DjokerNole continues the love affair with China 6-3 6-4 over borna Coric.#RolexSHMasters pic.twitter.com/UhGWJNQLPK
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 14, 2018
Regardless of his loss, runner-up Coric can seek solace from his run in Shanghai. On Monday he will edge closer to a top 10 debut by rising to a ranking best of 13th. He made his top 20 debut in July.
“This was just on another level today. I have to be honest, it was not fun for me.” Coric said to Djokovic afterwards.
“You’re one of the best (players) in the history of tennis.” He added.
As a result of his run in Shanghai, Djokovic will rise to world No.2 when the rankings are updated on Monday. His highest position since June 11th, 2017. He is just 215 points adrift from the top spot, which is currently held by Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic now has a win-loss record on the tour of 27-1 since the beginning of Wimbledon. He is also the first player this season to have won 17 matches in a row.
