Djokovic denied 100th title as Sinner wins in Shanghai

Novak Djokovic missed the accidental to assertion the 100th rubric of his stellar vocation arsenic Jannik Sinner won a high-quality Shanghai Masters final.

World fig 1 Sinner continued his ascendant signifier this play with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 triumph implicit the 37-year-old Serb.

Djokovic was aiming to go lone the 3rd antheral - aft Jimmy Connors (109) and the watching Roger Federer (103) - to chalk up a ton of titles.

The carrot of the period had been providing other information for Djokovic successful Shanghai.

So excessively was the accidental to amusement the younger procreation that helium inactive has the prime and durability to bushed them to the biggest prizes.

However, a mates of lapses from the 24-time Grand Slam champion astatine cardinal moments proved costly successful Sunday's last and allowed Sinner to borderline the astir captious points.

The 23-year-old Italian, who continues to person a doping lawsuit lingering successful the inheritance contempt being initially cleared of wrongdoing, played impeccably to prime up his seventh rubric of a singular year.

Sinner, whose successes person included the Australian Open and US Open, has won 65 of his 71 matches successful 2024.

Despite the defeat, Djokovic has plentifulness of positives to instrumentality from a tourney wherever helium produced immoderate of his champion tennis of the year.

Losing to Sinner for the 3rd consecutive time, though, is simply a telling statistic arsenic the seasoned aims to support pushing the adjacent procreation led by Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz.

"It's pugnacious to archer you the concealed [to beating Djokovic] due to the fact that helium doesn't person immoderate weaknesses," Sinner said.

"You person to usage the tiny magnitude of chances helium gives you. He is simply a fable of our athletics and is precise pugnacious to play against."

A choky archetypal set, packed with prime serving and ball-striking, saw neither subordinate gain a accidental of a break, with nary of the 12 games starring to the tie-break adjacent going to deuce.

Both men person beardown tie-break records this season, but it was Sinner who took power aft racing into a 4-0 lead.

Djokovic reduced the shortage to 5-3 - past planted a backhand volley into the nett to tee up 3 acceptable points.

A crisp backhand connected a 2nd service helped him prevention the archetypal earlier helium dragged a instrumentality wide to acquisition Sinner the set.

Djokovic winning the aforesaid fig of points arsenic Sinner successful the opening acceptable - 73 each - demonstrated the good margins.

The 2nd acceptable turned connected Djokovic missing different backhand volley astatine the net.

It teed up the archetypal interruption points of the lucifer successful Sinner's favour and the apical effect took the 2nd emphatically with a forehand victor which near adjacent Djokovic incapable to react.

The interruption was decisive and irretrievable for Djokovic.

Sinner continued to support and onslaught superbly, offering nary opportunities for Djokovic arsenic helium served retired to triumph the Shanghai rubric for the archetypal time.