By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Photo credit: Australian Open Facebook
Title trips were once dead-end routes for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Navigating a tricky tie break test, the Spaniard sped to his second career title today.
Davidovich Fokina fought off four set points in the tiebreak dispatching Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6(7) to collect his first career hard-court championship at the Chengdu Open.
Winless in his first five career finals, Davidovich Fokina finally broke through beating American Ethan Quinn 7-6(4), 6-3 to claim his maiden title on the grass of Mallorca on June 27th.
A little more than three months later, Davidovich Fokina won his second title, joining Pablo Carreno Busta (2019) as the second Spanish champion in Chengdu.
Afterward, Davidovich Fokina said his Mallorca breakthrough gave him the calm confidence to succeed in today’s tight tie break.
“After that win in Mallorca, I released the bad energy I had in the finals,” Davidovich Fokina said. “Now, I know how to deal with the pressure in tight moments.
“It was a little bit tight in the tie break, but I knew I would have my chances. It was a little bit of luck, but I’m very happy I was able to come through.”
A back injury had sidelined the Spaniard for about two-and-a-half months, forcing him out of last month’s US Open. Davidovich Fokina moved fluidly and repeatedly torched the Hurkacz weaker forehand wing throughout this final. Davidovich Fokina drew 25 forehand errors from Hurkacz—20 more than the Spaniard committed. Davidovich Fokina also hit precise passing shots winning 10 of Hurkacz’s 19 trips to net, including a backhand pass that set up his sprinting forehand winner on match point.
Overall, Davidovich Fokina beat the 2021 Miami Open champion for the fifth time in seven meetings.
“Well it’s not easy to describe the tie break. He was serving very good,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I had my little chance when I broke him at 6-5 and I had the hope to continue fighting and to try to win the title. Yeah, it was so tight, the tie break.”
Davidovich Fokina set the tone for troubling the big server, dragging the Pole through a 12-minute opening game before Hurkacz, who saved three break points, held for 1-0.
Working over the Pole’s forehand wing, Davidovich Fokina earned double break point in the seventh game. When Hurkacz flew an inside-out forehand long, the Spaniard scored the first break for 4-3.
Davidovich Fokina fired his second ace down the T to seal the 46-minute opening set.
Deadlocked at 4-All in the second set, Hurkacz hit his second double fault to fall into a Love-30 hole. The fifth seed worked through the stress test, including bungling a routine smash, stamping a hard-fought hold for 5-4.
Reading the Pole’s serve, Davidovich Fokina drew a couple of forehand errors for double break point in the 11th game. Hurkacz erased both break points, including banging an ace down the T for deuce. Hurkacz hung tough through a second consecutive challenging hold for 6-5.
Throughout the opening two sets, Davidovich Fokina had tormented the Pole with devious drop shots.
In the tie break, Hurkacz got off the mark quickly, ran down a dropper and bunted a backhand crosscourt for the mini break and a 4-2 lead. Hurkacz gained triple set point, but Davidovich Fokina drilled a forehand winner down the line to save the first set point and Hurkacz sent a return long on the second set point.
On set point No. 3, Hurkacz tried a surprise serve-and-volley off a second serve, but was passed down the line. Hurkacz gained a fourth set point at 7-6 on the Spaniard’s serve. Firing a flying forehand strike down the line, Davidovich Fokina erased the fourth set point.
Empowered, Davidovich Fokina slammed his eighth ace wide for championship point at 8-7.
Hurkacz tried attacking the net again, but Davidovich Fokina blasted a backhand pass then burst forward and slapped a forehand winner without touching the net to snatch his second career championship in one hour, 46 minutes.
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