Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s 2025 has been nothing short of revolutionary, but has just lacked the title to solidify it as one of his best on tour.
Now, he will get the perfect chance to finally accomplish that feat, as he is due to contest the Washington Open final against Alex de Minaur later tonight.
It stands as the culmination of many months of high-profile victories for the Spaniard, with many more coming this week in DC.
He has beaten both Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton to reach this stage, and in recent months has claimed scalps over stars like Jack Draper, Andrey Rublev and Jakub Mensik, to name but a few.
Davidovich Fokina must now complete one more to add some silverware to this sparkling year.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina rates the Washington Open crowd
What’s particularly interesting about his Washington Open run is the players he has beaten this week alone to reach the final.
The 26-year-old has brushed aside Learner Tien, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton to reach this stage, dominating the Americans on their home soil.
As such, the crowds have intensified with each new round, willing their compatriots to success against this upset specialist.
Clearly, it is not working.
Asked about this constant battle with the DC crowd, particularly against Shelton in the semi-final, Davidovich Fokina was asked whether he was ever bothered by it.
His reply was simple: “Maybe before I was hearing that they were cheering for me, maybe a couple of years ago, but now, I want that. For example, I love to play in these stadiums against a local guy, and that they cheering for him, because that gives me a lot of energy, like more energy.
“To win here like double, like motivation for me to win.”
Ben Shelton just cannot beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the moment
Although Shelton was the heavy favourite heading into yesterday’s semi-final, their recent head-to-head record certainly suggested otherwise.
After all, the American had already played Davidovich Fokina twice this year, losing on both occasions. This marked the hat trick.
For whatever reason, the Spanish star’s game style affects the big-serving youngster, as he explained in his post-match press conference.
Fokina explained why he always beats Shelton by suggesting: “At the end, I knew that I know my weakness, I know my power, and I know that I’m a very good returner. Then it’s a tricky match, because at the end I can read a little bit how he serves. And at the end, I can do that he thinks more than maybe other players.”
His steady progression throughout 2024 deserves huge praise, and a title would be a rather fitting reward for his hard work.
Alas, De Minaur will not make things easy for him in the final, with his a completely contrasting game style to Shelton or Fritz.