Davidovich Fokina vs Jodar Prediction 18 October 2026

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has had an excellent Asian swing, winning nine of his last ten matches, including the ATP 250 title in Chengdu. He came into this autumn after a two-month absence from the tour through injury. In Shanghai he produced several upsets, beating Frances Tiafoe (7-6, 4-6, 7-6), Hubert Hurkacz (1-6, 6-3, 7-6) and Alexander Zverev (5-7, 6-4, 6-3), all in three sets.

Davidovich Fokina does not have the physical build for power dominance on hard courts, yet manages to hold 81% of his service games. His main strengths are speed out of the blocks and mobility. He also maintains a strong balance between attack and defence, performing well on return and converting 46% of break points. His matches average 23.3 games, of which he wins more than half (53%).

Rafael Jodar played one fewer tournament during the Asian swing, and began it with a poor showing in Tokyo, where he lost in the first round of the main draw to a player ranked outside the top 100 - Vallejo. In Shanghai, though, the 20-year-old has been making history: through to the semi-finals he won every match from a losing position, beating Tirante (4-6, 6-2, 6-3), Lehecka (4-6, 7-6, 6-4), Van De Zandschulp (6-7, 6-4, 6-2) and Ruud (4-6, 6-4, 6-3), then in the semi-finals gave Medvedev no chance (6-3, 6-4).

Jodar is an atypical product of the Spanish tennis school: he plays more matches on hard courts than on any other surface and stands out with a powerful serve, helped by a height of 191 cm that is notable even by men's tour standards. That said, he does not always make full use of his size, holding serve in only 74% of service games. His return game, however, is exceptional - he converts 44% of break points. He plays predominantly from the baseline, with matches averaging 24 games, of which he wins 51%.