Jannik Sinner wins the Shanghai Masters and rejects Novak Djokovic's bid for the 100th title

SHANGHAI – Top-ranked Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets to win the Shanghai Masters on Sunday, giving the Italian his seventh title of the season.

The Italian defeated the 24-time Grand Slam winner 7:6 (4), 6:3 in one hour and 37 minutes and never faced a break point in the outdoor hard court tournament. Sinner hit eight aces and 22 winners to four and twelve for Djokovic, respectively.

Djokovic was aiming for his 100th tour title and his fifth in Shanghai. Only Jimmy Connors with 109 titles and Roger Federer with 103 have reached the century mark in men's tennis.

Sinner became the first man to win more than six titles in a season since Andy Murray won nine in 2016. He also equaled his career record against Djokovic and now has four wins each.

“It was a very tough game, playing against Novak is of course one of the biggest challenges we have,” said Sinner. “It's hard to reveal a secret about (Djokovic) because he has no weaknesses. You have to try to take advantage of the small chances he gives you, but there aren't many during the game. “He’s one of our legends.” In terms of sport, it’s very difficult to play against him, so I’m very happy.”

The victory for Sinner came after he lost the final of the China Open in Beijing to Carlos Alcaraz and had a doping case pending.

The 23-year-old Sinner is now 8-2 against top-five opponents on hard courts this year, with both losses coming against Alcaraz, who watched Sunday's final from the stands.