Djokovic wins Shanghai Masters to continue dominance in China
Serbian maintains his dominance on Chinese soil as he extends winning streak to 20 matches
Novak Djokovic maintained his dominance in China by holding off Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) yesterday to capture a second Shanghai Masters title and extend his winning streak in the country to 20 consecutive matches.
The Serb completed a back-to-back sweep of titles at the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters for the second straight year. He's now captured seven titles overall in China - the most he's won in any country.
Djokovic had to overcome a strong challenge from del Potro, who fended off two match points late in the third set, but couldn't put any pressure on Djokovic's serve down the stretch and appeared to fade in the tiebreaker.
"You're a great person and an even better player on the court," Djokovic said to Del Potro during the trophy presentation. "I'm sorry you lost today. You deserve this trophy equally."
"What can I say, man, I'm trying to be nice to you," he added, smiling, before giving the Argentine a hug.
It was a tough loss for Del Potro, who was trying to win his maiden Masters title in his third attempt. He was coming off a big win over top-ranked Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, overpowering the Spaniard so completely that Nadal later said: "Very few times I played against a player with a level like today."