De Minaur Clinches Washington Open Title After Thrilling Comeback Against Davidovich Fokina

Alex de Minaur staged a remarkable comeback to capture the Washington Open crown on Sunday, rallying from a set down and fending off three match points to defeat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(3) in the ATP 500 final.

The Australian, who previously finished runner-up at the event in 2018, attributed his victory partly to good fortune, which helped him secure his 10th career title and assured entry into the world top 10 rankings ahead of the upcoming US Open.

Both competitors, aged 26, exchanged breaks during an intense opening set before Davidovich Fokina established control with precise forehand winners to close it out.

De Minaur responded dominantly in the second set, successfully converting break points and maintaining his serve to level the match in just over 30 minutes, ending the set with an ace.

The Spanish player appeared poised to claim his first ATP title after taking a 5-3 lead in the decider, but he faltered while serving for the match, sending a forehand wide and allowing De Minaur to break back.

Tensions rose as Davidovich Fokina squandered three championship points on the Australian's serve. Ultimately, De Minaur capitalized on a series of unforced errors during the tiebreak to seal the victory.

Speaking at the trophy ceremony, de Minaur expressed his satisfaction: "I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I'm so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title."

He paid tribute to his opponent, saying, "Alejandro, you're way too good not to have one of these, it's coming for sure. You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you."

Davidovich Fokina noted his progress since needing a wild card to enter the event last year and looked forward to reaching a career-high ranking of world number 19. "He deserved the win, he was fighting every... ball, he was always pushing through my limits," he said.

"We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder," he added.