Djokovic to face Sinner in blockbuster Shanghai Masters final

Novak Djokovic battled through “an incredible fight” with Taylor Fritz on Saturday, shrugging off physical discomfort to win 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) and set up a blockbuster Shanghai Masters final with world number one Jannik Sinner.

Earlier the Italian beat Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5, ensuring in the process that he will finish the year at the top of the rankings.

“I won’t be a favourite on the court, but hopefully I’ll be able to come out physically fresh enough to challenge him for what may be a long match,” said Djokovic of Sunday’s final.

“I have to expect probably the toughest encounter of the tournament, and I have to be ready for it.”

Sinner said playing Djokovic would make the final “even more special”.

“It’s going to be a very tough one, it’s one of the biggest challenges we have in our sport,” he said.

– Fighting spirit –

Djokovic has now beaten the United States’ Fritz at each of their 10 encounters.

The Serb broke the 26-year-old US Open finalist in the fifth game to win the first set in 38 minutes.

But the second set lasted twice as long, and was a much more tense affair, as the players sent each other scrambling across the court in a series of thrilling rallies.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion called it an “incredible fight”.

“He could have easily won the second set… In the tiebreak it was really anyone’s game, (but) I feel like I was never giving up,” Djokovic said.

In the second set, after an almost 13-minute fifth game eventually held by Fritz, Djokovic bent over in exhaustion, breathing heavily.

The world number seven missed a good chance in the eighth game when he failed to convert a break point, with Djokovic recovering to hold.

“I just never really came up with what I needed to come up with in a lot of big moments and the big