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 champion 7-6 (4), 6-3 in 1 hour and 37 minutes and never faced a break point at the outdoor hard court tournament. Sinner hit eight aces and 22 winners, four and twelve for Djokovic respectively.

Djokovic was aiming for his hundredth title at tour level 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 tied his career record against Djokovic, now with four wins apiece.

“It was obviously a very tough match; playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have,” Sinner said. “It’s difficult to tell you a secret about Djokovic because he has no weaknesses. You have to try to take advantage of the little chances he gives you, but there are not many during the match. He is a legend of our Sport , he is very difficult to play against, so I am very happy.”

The win for Sinner came after he lost the China Open final in Beijing to Carlos Alcaraz and amid an ongoing doping case.

The 23-year-old Sinner is now 8-2 against top-5 opponents on hard courts this year, with both defeats coming against Alcaraz, who watched Sunday’s final from the stands.