Novak Djokovic’s bid to add a 100th singles title to his trophy cabinet on Sunday was dashed after he was beaten 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 by world No.1 Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday.

The Serb had been hoping to become only the third man to win 100 singles titles on the tour in the professional era after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).

Djokovic, however, focused on the positives. “I think there’s quite a few positives that I can take. I think the level of my tennis was really good this tournament, probably best after the Olympics in terms of how I played, how I performed, how I fought,” Djokovic told reporters.

“I did my best tonight. Under the circumstances, I felt maybe not a 100 per cent fresh, but big credit to Jannik for playing the big points better than me, and that’s what made the difference. He deserved to win.”

There were no breakpoints in a tense opening set where both players dominated on serve. Djokovic, who owns 24 grand slam titles among his haul, gave away just five points in six service games.

It took a tie-break to separate the two and Sinner, who has won just under 70 per cent of the tie-breakers he has played in the past year, took the first four points in a row before clinching the first set when a Djokovic return flew wide.

Djokovic’s serve lost some of its potency in the second set and the two-time grand slam champion Sinner broke for a 3-1 lead after blasting a forehand winner down the line.

Two more service holds put Sinner within reach of victory and he crossed the finish line with an emphatic ace to wrap up the final in an hour and 37 minutes.