Alex de MINAUR won his 10th ATP title and denied Alejandro Davidovich Fokina his first in what was an absolute thriller of a Mubadala Citi Open -Final on Sunday evening.
Davidovich Fokina had three championship points and also led 30-0 while serving for the match on 5-3 in the third set, but he could not cross the finish. The Minaur finally forced a decisive tiebreaker and after three hours and three minutes with 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3) to triumph.
The Spaniard came mainly close to lifting the trophy in his third chance. He hit a solid forehand shot that led to the minaur that the Minaur threw up a desperate defensive lob – one that seemed to be in the air forever before landing on the outside of the sidelines. After a few more shots were exchanged, the Aussie ended the dramatic point with a backhand pass.
It evoked memories of Davidovich Fokina’s Delray Beach final earlier this year, in which he held two championship points against Miomir Kecmanovic. The 26-year-old missed what a clean forehand winner Millimeters Wide would have been with Kecmanovic on 2-5, 15-40 in the third set. Davidovich Fokina would not win another game for the rest of the game.
“You are far too good to have none of these (trophies),” De Minaur told the world no. 26 during the ceremony on the field. “It will certainly be. You deserved it today. I have just been lucky. You are a great competitor, a great player. Nobody on the Tour wants to play. This is not the end; this is only for you.”
The Minaur will break back in the top 10 on Monday. If it is a comfort, Davidovich Fokina is in the top 20 of the ranking in his career for the first time – in seven places to no. 19.
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