Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Helps Lead Spain to Victory Over Brazil in United Cup Play

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has helped lead Spain to victory…

The 24-year-old Spanish tennis player and his mixed doubles partner and compatriot Sara Sorribes Tormo beat Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 7-5 in the decider of the Group A tie between the two countries on the opening day of the United Cup mixed team tournament Friday.

Spain beat Brazil 2-1 to start the revamped $10 million tournament that features 18 countries with ties taking place in Perth and Sydney.

Davidovich Fokina put Spain up 1-0 by defeating Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 6-0 in the first match of the season, dominating his opponent from the baseline and not facing a break point throughout the contest.

But Brazil hit back through world No. 11 Haddad Maia, who downed Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (1), 6-2 in a rematch of their marathon French Open fourth-round clash earlier this year.

“To come back and play with Sara, I think we had a great time on court and we enjoyed a lot,” world No. 26 Davidovich Fokina told reporters. “We didn’t care … obviously we care, but the result was like the last thing. We were enjoying out there, just to keep improving also.”

World No. 1s Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are among the big names who will be in action in the coming days as they warm up for the opening Grand Slam of the new year, the Australian Open, which will run from January 14-28 in Melbourne.

The final is scheduled for January 7.

Carlos Alcaraz to Face Novak Djokovic in Group Stage of the Davis Cup Finals

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

The budding rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will be renewed in the group stage of the Davis Cup finals next month.

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis player and Djokovic were included in the teams announced this week by Spain and Serbia, respectively, for the competition that will be played on September 12-17 in Valencia, Spain.

Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in July. The Spaniard is No. 1 in the world, with Djokovic sitting at No. 2.

Spain and Serbia have been drawn in the same group along with the Czech Republic and South Korea. Group stage matches will also be played in Bologna, Italy; Manchester, England; and Split, Croatia.

The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the finals in Malaga, Spain, in November.

Alcaraz will lead a Spain team that will include Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Roberto Bautista Agut and Marcel Granollers.

Djokovic’s Serbia will also have Laslo Djere, Miomir Kecmanovic, Dusan Lajovic and Hamad Medjedovic.

Nine of the current top 20 players in the world have been called up for their national teams — Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti for Italy, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul for the United States, Alex de Minaur for Australia, Cameron Norrie for Britain and Borna Coric for Croatia.

Andy Murray will also play for Britain, which faces Australia, France and Switzerland in Manchester. The Swiss will count on Stan Wawrinka, while France will have Adrian Mannarino and Nicolas Mahut.

Leo Borg, son of 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg, was included in Sweden’s team that will face Canada, Italy and Chile in Bologna.

Mackenzie McDonald, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram were also included in the American team that will play against the Netherlands, Finland and host Croatia in Split.

Alex de Minaur Defeats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to Reach His First ATP Masters 1000 Final

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur has advanced to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final…

In red-hot form, the 24-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian professional tennis player wasted little time booking his spot in the Canadian Open championship match with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday in Toronto.

de Minaur stayed largely solid to ease to victory against his under-par opponent in just 78 minutes, breaking in all but one of the Spaniard’s eight service games to reach his fourth ATP Tour final of the season.

“It was a very tough day. Very tricky conditions out here,” said de Minaur. “Very windy, and not easy to play tennis, so from the first point I just told myself to stay positive. I was going to try and win every point, try to be solid and not expect perfect tennis. I think that made the difference today.”

Now 16-5 since the beginning of the grass-court season in June, de Minaur will meet seventh seed Jannik Sinner on Sunday at Sobeys Stadium as he chases the biggest title of his career.

His run in Toronto, where he took out Top 10 opponents Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev prior to Davidovich Fokina, has lifted him five spots to 10th in the ATP Live Race To Turin.

Davidovich Fokina’s low-energy performance on Saturday suggested he may have been feeling the effects of his previous exertions this week in Toronto, where he upset seeded players Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud.

de Minaur was clinical in capitalizing on his opponent’s struggles, cruising to become the first Australian to reach the Canadian Open final since Patrick Rafter in 2001.

Even when Davidovich Fokina found some rhythm on return, he was unable to regain control as he offered up 38 unforced errors to de Minaur’s nine overall. The Australian claimed the only hold of the second set in the second game before the windy conditions contributed to seven straight breaks of serve to finish the match.

“[I‘m proud of] bringing out the level that I knew I always could and being able to back it up day after day,” said de Minaur, who had not been past the last 16 of a Masters 1000 prior to this week. “That’s been one of the goals of mine, to stay consistent and keep bringing this level, and give myself chances to play in the deep ends of tournaments. To play against the best in the world and go toe to toe with them.

“I gave myself the chance this week, I’ve taken that opportunity, and tomorrow I get to play another final.”

de Minaur has now risen six spots to No. 12 in the ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Toronto, three clear of his career-high No. 15. He is set up nicely for a bid to crack the Top 10 for the first time across the rest of the North American hard-court swing.

“For a couple of years now I’ve been chasing that goal, and probably put a lot of stress on myself to try to achieve that,” said De Minaur. “I’m always going to get the absolute most out of myself. I’m not content where I am, so I’m just going to keep on pushing.”

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Defeats Mackenzie McDonald at Canadian Open to Advance to Second Masters 1000 Semifinal

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is back in a Masters 1000 semifinal…

The 24-year-old Spanish professional tennis player defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open to advance to his second Masters 1000 semi, his first on a hard court.

Davidovich Fokina beat McDonald 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 36 minutes for his best Masters 1000 result since Monte Carlo last year.

He clinched 16 points more than his American opponent, losing serve two times and building the advantage with five return games on his tally.

Davidovich Fokina landed 18 winners and 25 unforced errors. McDonald couldn’t follow that pace, missing a lot from his forehand and wrapping up the duel with a 13-36 ratio. Mackenzie was off to a great start, holding at love in the encounter’s first game and delivering a break in game two to forge an early advantage.

Alejandro broke back in the third game after the rival’s loose forehand and denied a break point in the next one to lock the result at 2-2.

The American held after deuces in the seventh game, closing the game with a service winner and opening a 4-3 gap. The Spaniard erased a break point in the eighth game after forcing the rival’s mistake and held to lock the result at 4-4.

With a boost on his side, Davidovich Fokina clinched a break at 15 in the ninth game, moving 5-4 ahead and serving for the opener.

The Spaniard held at 15 with an ace, bringing the opening part of the duel home in 49 minutes and hoping for more in the second set.Alejandro broke for the second straight time at the start of the second set from 40-15 down to extend the gap.

McDonald lost the ground in those moments and sprayed a volley error in the third game to get broken for the third time in a row and find himself near the exit door. Davidovich Fokina played against five break points in the fourth game and got broken after a double fault.

However, the Spaniard rattled off his fourth break of serve a few minutes later, taming the rival’s initial shot entirely and controlling the scoreboard. Alejandro held at love in game six for 5-1 and served for the victory at 5-2.

The Spaniard converted the third match point to emerge at the top and secure a place in his second Masters 1000 semifinal.

Davidovich Fokina previously toppled Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud en route to his quarterfinal vs. McDonald.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Rallies to Beat Casper Ruud at the Canadian Open

Posted on August 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has pulled off a major upset…

The 24-year-old Spanish professional tennis player earned his fifth Top 10 win on Thursday when he claimed a hard-fought 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4) victory against World No. 5 Casper Ruud at the Canadian Open.

After Davidovich Fokina clinched the first set, play was suspended for one hour and 34 minutes due to rain. Ruud came out firing on the resumption and was two points away from victory, leading 5-3, 30/0 in the third set before the Spaniard came roaring back to clinch a thrilling victory after three hours and three minutes in Toronto.

Davidovich Fokina hit 58 winners and played aggressively in the late stages of the deciding set, advancing to his fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.

“I kept very focused on every point,” Davidovich Fokina said. “He had the serve to close out the match, but I was focused on every point to be there and not give up. It was very tough. We played long rallies, with a lot of pressure. When I broke for 4-5, it was a show of power to finish the match.”

With his first Top 10 win on a hard court, Davidovich Fokina improved to 2-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Ruud, whose best result this year was a run to the final at Roland Garros.

The World No. 37 will meet Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals.

Cristian Garin Upsets Casper Ruud to Reach Fourth Round at Indian Wells

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Cristian Garin has pulled off a major upset at Indian Wells…

The 26-year-old Chilean professional tennis player, the former World No. 17 who came through two qualifying matches to book a spot in the main draw at the ATP Masters 1000 event, sealed a 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory against third seed Casper Ruud to reach the fourth round for the first time at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“With a full stadium, and to play like this today against Casper, who is one of the players that I really admire on Tour, I am so, so happy to keep playing like that,” said Garin. “Aggressive, going to the net, I think that’s the way that I like to play and the only way that I [can] beat these kinds of players. I’m just so happy and I want to keep improving and keep enjoying this tournament.”

Garin qualified without losing a set and then dropped just 10 games across his opening two main-draw matches, and he showed few nerves when presented with his toughest test yet in California. He outhit the World No. 4 Ruud by 39 winners to 17 to notch his third win against a Top 10 opponent, his first since 2021, and his first on a hard court.

After clinching the first set by breaking Ruud’s serve in the fifth game, Garin’s composure was tested as he looked to close out the match. Ruud narrowly avoided going down a double break in the second set by recovering 30/40 to hold for 2-3, and the Norwegian went on to force a tie-break as he threatened a comeback on Stadium 1.

Garin expertly ended Ruud’s hopes of victory, however. He reeled off four points in a row to clinch the tiebreak as he heaped pressure on the Norwegian’s groundstrokes with frequent forays to the net. During his one-hour, 58-minute victory, Garin won 78 per cent (18/23) of points at the net.

“I like to play aggressive and move a lot to the net, and I think Casper is a really good player when you give time to him,” said Garin after extending his ATP Head2Head series lead against Ruud to 3-1. “So I try to go aggressive, go to the net, and play like that… I’ve known Casper for a very long time, so it’s very special to keep playing like this in this tournament, so I want to keep going.”

Garin will look to keep his run going in Indian Wells when he next takes on 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated 13th seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 later on Sunday.

Should the Chilean triumph, he would advance to his fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal after also reaching that stage at the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters, the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open, and the 2022 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Defeats Grigor Dimitrov to Reach First ATP Final of His Career at Monte Carlo Masters

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has reached his first ATP final…

The 22-year-old Spanish professional tennis player, who knocked out Novak Djokovic in the second round, reached his first ATP final by beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3 at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The unseeded Davidovich Fokina took the first set from Dimitrov with ease, but squandered the chance at 5-4 in the second to take the semifinal in straight sets. The third set was tense. Davidovich Fokina overcame a break and 2-0 down.

“I pushed myself to the limit,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I’m glad that I pushed myself to that.”

He will try to prevent Stefanos Tsitsipas from becoming the first repeat Monte Carlo champion since Rafael Nadal in 2018.

Tsitsipas breezed into the Monte Carlo Masters final after dispatching second-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday.

Tsitsipas has a 2-0 record against him, including in February in the Netherlands.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Pulls Off Upset Win Against Novak Djokovic at Monte Carlo Masters

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is celebrating an upset…

The 22-year-old Spanish professional tennis player pulled off a stunning victory against Novak Djokovic at the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday.

Davidovich Fokina stunned the top-ranked Serb 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in the second round to hand Djokovic another setback as he tries to move on from the controversy surrounding his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

It makes for rare back-to-back losses for Djokovic, who had not played since being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February — his only previous tournament this year after he was barred from playing at the Australian Open.

Djokovic struggled from the start as the 46th-ranked Spaniard broke him early to pull ahead 4-1 before another break handed him the first set. Davidovich Fokina kept up the pressure and led 3-0 in the second before Djokovic clawed back. But the Serb continued to struggle on his serve and was broken three times in the decider.

“He was the better player,” Djokovic said. “I was hanging on the ropes the entire match.”

The Serb said he was too exhausted to put up a fight in the third set.

“I collapsed,” Djokovic said. “I just ran out of gas completely … If you can’t stay in the rally, not feeling your legs on the clay, it’s mission impossible.”

Djokovic had beaten Davidovich Fokina in straight sets twice last year, in Rome and at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.

Djokovic could not defend his Australian Open title in January after he was deported from the country for not being vaccinated. He had to skip tournaments in Indian Wells, California, and Miami because he couldn’t travel to the United States for the same reason.

The authorities in France and Monaco lifted most COVID-19 restrictions last month, allowing people who aren’t vaccinated into the country and back into restaurants, sports arenas and other venues.

That means Djokovic will be able to play at the French Open, which remains his “big goal of the clay season.”

“I knew that it’s going to take some time for me to really feel my best on the clay,” Djokovic said. “I have to accept defeat and keep working … and hopefully build my form for Roland Garros.”

The French Open starts on May 22 in Paris.

In the meantime, Davidovich Fokina is moving on to the Round of 16 at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Defeats Federico Delbonis at French Open to Reach First-Ever Grand Slam Quarterfinals

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal…

The 22-year-old Spanish tennis player battled past Federico Delbonis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 56 minutes on Sunday at the French Open.

Davidovich Fokina, who overcame Casper Ruud in a mammoth five-set battle in the third round, hit 42 winners and broke Delbonis seven times on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to set up a clash with sixth seed Alexander Zverev.

Davidovich Fokina improved to 19-10 on the season with the victory over 30-year-old Delbonis.

He previously reached the fourth round at the US Open in September (l. Zverev) and advanced to the semifinals on clay at the Estoril Open (l. Ramos-Vinolas) in May to reach a career-high No. 45 in the ATP rankings.

In a lively start where both players broke serve, Davidovich Fokina moved ahead, reeling off four straight games to lead 5-3 as errors started to fly from the Argentine’s racquet.

The Spaniard, who had spent ten hours and 14 minutes on court ahead of this fourth round match, won 46 per cent of points on Delbonis’ first serve, dominating from the baseline as he showed no signs of fatigue to win the opener.

The Spaniard then raced into a 5-1 lead in the second as he won 93 per cent of points (14/15) on his first serve. Although the youngster displayed some nerves, with Delbonis closing back to 5-4, the Argentine could not convert two break opportunities to level at 5-5. Davidovich Fokina capitalized on his third set point with a forehand winner to move further clear.

Lefthander Delbonis hit his heavy forehand into the Spaniard’s backhand with more success throughout the third set though, and battled back from a break down to gain a foothold in the contest. However, Davidovich Fokina made 82 per cent of his first serves in the fourth and used the drop shot to great effect against his tiring opponent, making the crucial breakthrough at 3-3. He then fended off four break points to serve out the contest to extend his stay in France.

Delbonis lost just eight games in his third-round encounter with Fabio Fognini to move to 19 clay-court wins for the season. However, the 30-year-old, who reached the quarterfinals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia as a qualifier (l. Opelka), struggled to deal with the Spaniard’s power on Sunday.

Cristian Garin Reaches Madrid Open Quarterfinals After Upset-Win Over Daniil Medvedev

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Cristian Garin has scored a massive upset…

The 24-year-old Chilean tennis player equaled the biggest win of his career on Thursday when he defeated World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-1 at the Madrid Open.

Garin broke the Russian twice in the third set to reach the quarterfinals after 2 hours and 30 minutes. Garin won 75 percent of his service points, hit six aces and faced just one break point.

This is Garin’s second victory against a World No. 3. En route to the 2019 BMW Open title in Munich, the Santiago native outlasted two-time defending champion Alexander Zverev in three sets.

Garin will meet Belgrade champion Matteo Berrettini for a place in his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

He is tied at 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Berrettini.

Medvedev was aiming to reach his first quarterfinal in Madrid. The Russian rallied from a set down to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Wednesday to earn his first victory in the Spanish capital.

The first set went Garin’s way after a loose service game from Medvedev early on at 1-1. The second set saw no breaks of serve and Medvedev took charge of the tiebreak by attacking Garin’s backhand. It was all Garin in the third set, as he broke Medvedev twice and controlled his nerves during a five-minute delay when the net strap broke at deuce in the final game.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina