Alex De Minaur pulled off a dramatic comeback to win the Washington Open title on Sunday, defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(3) in a gripping final at the ATP 500 event. The Australian saved three match points en route to his 10th career title, capping off a performance marked by grit and resilience.
The 26-year-old De Minaur, who fell short in the 2018 final against Alexander Zverev, reversed his fortunes this time around and will now break into the world’s top 10 ahead of next month’s US Open.
Both players, aged 26, exchanged early breaks in the opening set before Spain’s Davidovich Fokina took control, sealing the set with a flurry of forehand winners. But De Minaur responded in dominant fashion in the second set, converting two of four break points and holding serve throughout, finishing the set in just over 30 minutes with a pinpoint ace.
The decider saw Davidovich Fokina take what appeared to be a decisive lead, breaking De Minaur to move ahead 5-3. However, nerves crept in, and the Spaniard faltered while serving for the match, sending a forehand long to hand the break back.
As tension built, the 12th seed Davidovich Fokina squandered three match points on De Minaur’s serve, opening the door for the Australian. In the final-set tiebreak, De Minaur capitalised on a series of unforced errors from his opponent to edge the contest and seal victory.
“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,” De Minaur said during the trophy presentation.
He offered heartfelt praise 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—it’s only going up from here.”
Davidovich Fokina, who was bidding for his first career title, took solace in his progress, having required a wild card just to enter the tournament last year. With his run to the final, he is set to rise to a career-high world No. 19.
“He deserved the win, he was fighting every ball, he was always pushing through my limits,” Davidovich Fokina said. “We had a job to do before we started the year—to be in the top 20 by mid-season. This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder.”
The final, a contest of power, perseverance, and mental fortitude, is already being hailed as one of the standout matches of the summer hard-court season.