Novak Djokovic missed the opportunity to claim the 100th title of his stellar career as Jannik Sinner won a high-quality Shanghai Masters final.
World number one Sinner continued his dominant form this season with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 victory over the 37-year-old Serb.
Djokovic was aiming to become only the third man - after Jimmy Connors (109) and the watching Roger Federer (103) - to chalk up a ton of titles.
The carrot of the century had been providing extra motivation for Djokovic in Shanghai.
So too was the opportunity to show the younger generation that he still has the quality and durability to beat them to the biggest prizes.