De Minaur Crowned at the DC Open After Epic Battle
In a final that kept fans on the edge of their seats, Alex De Minaur won the DC Open title after coming back from a set down and saving three championship points. The Australian tennis player defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with scores of 5-7, 6-1 and 7-6 (3). De Minaur, seventh seed of the tournament, added his tenth ATP title, the eighth on hard courts. The 26-year-old player had already been a finalist in Washington in 2018. For his part, Davidovich Fokina, seed number 12, has a record of 0-4 in finals throughout his career. Despite leading 5-2 in the third set and having multiple opportunities to close out the match, he failed to secure the victory. This is the second time this year that the Spaniard has lost multiple match points in a final. The 26-year-old Spanish tennis player started the week in the 26th position in the ranking and will rise to the top 20 on Monday, remaining the highest-ranked player without titles.
After the match, De Minaur approached Davidovich Fokina and consoled him after the tough loss.“Alejandro, you’re too good not to have one of these, it will surely come,” De Minaur declared during the on-court ceremony, pointing to the trophy. “You deserved it today, I was just lucky. You’re a great competitor, a great player. Nobody on the circuit wants to play against you.”
Alex De Minaur
Davidovich Fokina recalled that he needed a wildcard to play in the US capital last year, and was pleased to have secured at least a rise to number 19, the highest of his career.“He deserved the victory, he was fighting for every… ball, he was always pushing my limits,” commented Davidovich Fokina.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
“I had a job to do before the year started, to be halfway through the year in the top 20,” he said. “We did it this week, but not with the trophy. But we will surely move forward, surpassing our limits, striving harder.”
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
