A Controversial First Set Sets the Tone
The semifinal between Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Jodar at the 2026 Shanghai Rolex Masters was always going to be tense, but nobody quite anticipated the drama that unfolded in the opening set. Midway through the first set, Medvedev grew furious over an electronic line-calling dispute, demanding to see a ball-bounce replay for a shot that had landed during an active rally rather than at the end of the point. The chair umpire insisted that reviewing mid-point calls was not permitted under Shanghai protocols, which sent Medvedev over the edge. "If you don't show me, I'm retiring. I don't care," the Russian shouted at the umpire, loud enough for courtside microphones to pick up every word. Remarkably, the threat appeared to work, as the umpire immediately requested the footage via headset. Despite winning that argument, Medvedev could not win the set, dropping it 3-6 to Jodar. The Spaniard then held his nerve to close out the match and book his first-ever Masters 1000 final appearance.
Medvedev's Rocky Asian Swing and Jodar's Big Moment
The result caps a turbulent stretch for Medvedev across the Asian swing. He was disqualified from his China Open semifinal in Beijing after accidentally striking a spectator with a ball during his match against Novak Djokovic, costing him both prize money and 200 ranking points. That setback put pressure on his bid to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, scheduled for November. His run to the Shanghai final, however, had already gone a long way toward repairing the damage, lifting him into a strong position in the qualification race. Jodar, meanwhile, now faces Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Sunday's final, after the Spaniard stunned top seed Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal. It shapes up as an all-Spanish final in China, a remarkable storyline to close out one of the season's biggest hard-court events. TennisDraw users who backed Jodar to cause an upset deep in the draw are looking very sharp heading into Sunday's decider.
