Djokovic wins Shanghai Masters for third time

World No.1 Novak Djokovic rolled to a 6-4, 6-2 win over France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final of the Shanghai Masters hard-court tennis tournament here on Sunday.

World No.16 Tsonga played better in the second set, but it was not enough to beat Djokovic, who finished the match with 18 winners and converted on four of 13 break chances, reports Efe.

"Generally, I felt always in control of the match. I felt like I've done everything right. I've won many of my service games very comfortably. I didn't allow him to get into the rhythm, get into the match. Today's match, and overall the tournament, it's gone incredibly well for me," Djokovic said.

The Serb has now won 25 Masters titles, passing Swiss great Roger Federer and nearing the record of 27 held by Spain's Rafael Nadal.

The 28-year-old Djokovic drew loud applause from the crowd after he spoke a few phrases in Mandarin to his Chinese fans.

Djokovic has won 38 of the last 39 matches he has played in China, where he has swept the Beijing-Shanghai combo three times.

The world No.1 has won 10 finals in China -- six in Beijing and four in Shanghai.

The only country where he has won more titles is the United States, where he has taken home 11 trophies.

Tsonga's big consolation is that he will jump to the No. 9 spot in the Emirates ATP Race to London, thanks to his appearance in the final.

"The first set went quick," the 30-year-old Tsonga said. "It's not easy to stop him. He is really consistent on his return. Today, I didn't serve well enough, especially in the first set. After that, in the second, I served a little bit better, and it gave me the opportunity to have a chance on his serve. But, finally, I was not able to do it, and he broke me at 4-all."

Djokovic said the difference in the match was his ability to return well against the big-serving Tsonga.

"Today, the key was to get as many serves back into play to Jo, because he has one of the biggest serves in the game," Djokovic said.

"He has shown that in the second set, with some break points early in the set. He came up with some aces, some big serves."