Novak Djokovic vs Borna Coric (6-3, 6-4)
Novak Djokovic is now the winningest player in the history of the Shanghai Masters, capturing a record fourth title in the 2018 edition after beating surprise finalist Borna Coric.
Expectations were high on Djokovic heading into the final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters 2018. He has been in fine form this season, which carried on in the tournament as he cruised to the title bout without dropping a set.
Coric—who upset Roger Federer to deny fans what would have been a classic Djokovic-Federer encounter—challenged Djokovic at times and showed the qualities that paved his way to the final. However, in the end, the 21-year-old’s growing confidence and unpolished talent aren’t enough to stop the Djoker.
Highlights of the game
Djokovic was just too strong for Coric, plain and simple. While the young Croatian gave it his all, Djokovic’s defence proved to be a thick wall that even the Federer conqueror couldn’t crack.
Experience also played a big part in the contest. Djokovic is one of the most successful players to ever play the sport, with 14 major titles to his name, while Coric is playing in his first-ever Masters 1000 final. And that difference in experience was clear right from the opening set, with Djokovic capitalising on every opportunity he sees.
It took Djokovic only one hour and 36 minutes to close out the affair, needing just 38 minutes to win the first set and get his game going.
The Serbian juggernaut led 4-2 after 25 minutes of play. Coric traded blow-for-blow on serve in the early exchanges, but he soon found himself buried as Djokovic showed what he has in his bag of tricks. The 31-year-old exploited the short balls and mixed his service placement, allowing him to keep the Croatian moving and thinking about what he would do next.
Djokovic didn’t keep it long as he won the first set with a hold to love, having just dropped four points on his service game.
Now behind one set, Coric appeared to be feeling the nerves, and that was even more evident when he handed Djokovic the opening game with a forehand volley error.
The Croat showed some guts and saved four break points to win the third game that lasted for 11 minutes. Nonetheless, the flashes of brilliance turned into a mirage quickly as Djokovic smelled blood and stepped up his game.
Coric managed to win the ninth game and make it 5-4, but Djokovic had the momentum swinging in his favour and the US Open 2018 winner served out to complete his record-breaking title victory in the Chinese city.
Key statistics
Djokovic grabbed the Shanghai Masters 2018 news headlines with his immaculate record heading into the final. And he continued his perfect week as he did not drop a single set against Coric.
Even more remarkable, Djokovic didn’t lose a service game in Shanghai, making him only the third player to ever win a Masters 1000 title without dropping a serve—the other two being Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev. He had a total of 47 service games all week.
Furthermore, Djokovic is now on an 18-match winning streak and improved to a 27-1 record since his Wimbledon triumph last July. He won both the Cincinnati Masters and US Open after that, losing only in the Rogers Cup.
With his fourth trophy in the tournament, Djokovic also now holds the solo lead for the most Shanghai titles. He was previously tied with Andy Murray for the record. Prior to this win, the Serb last won the championship in 2015, two years after he claimed back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Meanwhile, for Coric, he would rue the fact that he failed to replicate his performance against Federer in the final. The pre-match Shanghai Rolex Masters 2018 odds at SBOBET put him as a heavy underdog, but there was some hope that he would be able to defy the odds and become the youngest Masters 1000 champion.
However, Coric was overpowered by Djokovic, with post-game statistics showing that Nole won in almost all areas—particularly on the serve where he lost just nine points overall to Coric’s 29 lost points.
What’s next?
Djokovic is set to topple Federer and climb to no.2 in the rankings. He’s already set to move up the ladder with his finals berth, but his victory ensured that he’s in the running to reclaim the World No.1 ranking from Rafael Nadal.
Nadal, who missed the Asian swing as he recovers from a knee injury, is set to lose some points for his absence, increasing Djokovic’s chances of getting the top seat.
The biggest event for Djokovic is the ATP World Tour Championship in London next month, and his string of victories put him in a good position to win it all.
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