Alex De Minaur produced a stunning comeback to defeat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(3) and win the Washington Open title on Sunday.
The Aussie displayed remarkable resilience coming back from a set down and saving three match points in a thriller final set.
This marked the 10th career ATP title for Alex De Minaur. Moving five places to number eight, the 26-year-old is on the way to enter the top 10 in the world rankings ahead of next month’s U.S. Open.
Spain’s Davidovich Fokina closed out the opening set with the help of some crisp forehand winners. De Minaur responded emphatically in the second set, converting two of four break-point opportunities while holding serve throughout, winding up the set in just over 30 minutes with an ace to level the contest.
The Spaniard took the lead in the decider, but he failed to serve out the match at 5-3, to seventh seed De Minaur.
Davidovich Fokina’s frustration mounted as the 12th seed squandered three match points on De Minaur’s serve, and the Australian then capitalised on a series of unforced errors in the tiebreak to edge the contest.
“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 at the trophy presentation.
On the other hand, Fokina was seeking his first ATP Tour title, after he missed out on two championship points in Delray Beach this past February against Miomir Kecmanovic and lost the Acapulco final to Tomas Machac in March.
In women’s singles at Washington Open, Canadian Leylah Fernandez delivered a commanding performance to beat Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in straight sets.
It took the Canadian just over an hour to win her first WTA 500 title and maiden trophy in two years.
“At the beginning of the tournament, there was still a lot of doubt, but as the tournament progressed, I started to play better,” Fernandez said.
“I have faced many challenges this week. I think it has made me stronger, knowing that if I can get through this week — with the cramps, long matches, heat, and humidity — I can overcome anything.”
Leylah Fernandez started strongly to take the opening set in just 30 minutes.
After three holds left Fernandez 2-1 up, the breakthrough came in the fourth game with Kalinskaya’s serve looking increasingly fragile. The Russian faced trouble at 15-40 down and double-faulted to give Fernandez the break and a 3-1 lead.
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Fernandez took a 4-1 lead before attacking Kalinskaya’s serve in the sixth game. The Canadian held two break points at 15-40 and converted the second for a 5-1 lead, hitting a backhand return that left Kalinskaya rooted to the spot. A delicate drop shot at the net secured Fernandez the set in the next game.
The second set Fernandez grabbed an early break to take the initiative at 2-1 before breaking again soon after for a 4-1 lead. The next two games went with serve, but Fernandez made no mistake when serving for the match, converting the second of two match points.
Fernandez will head to Canada for this week’s WTA 1000 Canadian Open in Montreal, where she anticipates a tougher challenge.
