Davidovich Fokina Wins Chengdu Title After Injury Comeback

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina dedicated his Chengdu championship to his team, family, and wife, acknowledging the challenges of his return after a three-and-a-half-month layoff due to injury. He expressed his proactive nature and the significant effort invested in his comeback.

He enjoyed his first visit to Chengdu, experiencing the city and seeing pandas. The tournament marked his first time encountering sunny weather there.

Davidovich Fokina maintained a perfect record on his service games, winning all 11 throughout the tournament and saving the sole break point he faced. He secured 87 percent of points on his first serve (46 of 53), landing 77 percent of them. His opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, recorded 17 aces to Davidovich Fokina's eight and saved five of six break points. The decisive break point lost by Hurkacz sealed the first set. Davidovich Fokina went on to win the second-set tiebreak 9-7.

With this victory, Davidovich Fokina now leads their head-to-head series 5-2. His path to the final included wins against Nikoloz Basilashvili (4-6, 6-4, 6-3), Alexandre Muller (6-1, 7-5), and Juan Manuel Cerundolo (6-4, 6-4).

Hurkacz, aiming for his ninth career title and first since Estoril in 2024, reached the final through wins over Denis Shapovalov (6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-3), Lloyd Harris (7-6 (10), 6-4), Martin Damm (4-6, 6-3, 6-4), and Aleksandr Shevchenko (6-3, 7-6 (10)).

English Translation:

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina dedicated his Chengdu championship to his team, family, and wife, acknowledging the challenges of his return after a three-and-a-half-month layoff due to injury. He expressed his proactive nature and the significant effort invested in his comeback.

He enjoyed his first visit to Chengdu, experiencing the city and seeing pandas. The tournament marked his first time encountering sunny weather there.

Davidovich Fokina maintained a perfect record on his service games, winning all 11 throughout the tournament and saving the sole break point he faced. He secured 87 percent of points on his first serve (46 of 53), landing 77 percent of them. His opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, recorded 17 aces to Davidovich Fokina's eight and saved five of six break points. The decisive break point lost by Hurkacz sealed the first set. Davidovich Fokina went on to win the second-set tiebreak 9-7.

With this victory, Davidovich Fokina now leads their head-to-head series 5-2. His path to the final included wins against Nikoloz Basilashvili (4-6, 6-4, 6-3), Alexandre Muller (6-1, 7-5), and Juan Manuel Cerundolo (6-4, 6-4).

Hurkacz, aiming for his ninth career title and first since Estoril in 2024, reached the final through wins over Denis Shapovalov (6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-3), Lloyd Harris (7-6 (10), 6-4), Martin Damm (4-6, 6-3, 6-4), and Aleksandr Shevchenko (6-3, 7-6 (10)).