'It’s coming for sure. You deserved it today. I just got lucky' : Alex de Minaur consoles Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after gut-wrenching DC Open final defeat

Australia’s Alex de Minaur had kind words for Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after lifting the DC Open title. The 26-year-old came out in the final in a thriller with a score of 5-7, 6-1, 7-6. While doing so, Minaur managed to save three championship points in the third set and eventually came out on top in the tiebreaker.

During the match, De Minaur produced nine aces, seven more than Davidovich Fokina. He won 63 per cent of the service points as well. The defeat was a major setback for Davidovich Fokina, as it marked his fourth consecutive loss in the final of an ATP event. Davidovich Fokina, who was chasing his first-ever tour title, was visibly distraught after coming so close but ultimately lost the contest. De Minuar consoled him after the final as the two sat on the chair and exchanged words.

De Minaur spoke after the match and comforted his opponent by stating that Davidovich Fokina remains too good a player not to win a title in his career, as not many players look forward to facing him on the court. “I wanna start with Alejandro, as I told you and your team, you’re way too good to not have one of these,” said De Minaur. “It’s coming for sure. You deserved it today. I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor and player. No one on the tour wants to play you. This is not the end. It’s only going up for you.

While talking to the media after lifting the title, De Minaur admitted that he did not make it easier for Davidovich Fokina, who was in pain after losing the fourth final of his career. “I feel for him,” said De Minaur. “Nothing I could say in that moment was going to make the situation better. I just wanted to let him know how good of a player he is.”

He deserved the win: Davidovich Fokina

Davidovich Fokina, while talking during the presentation, not only congratulated De Minaur for lifting the title but also thanked his wife for supporting him throughout his tough journey. “I want to say congrats to Alex,” he said. “He deserved the win. He was fighting every ball. He was always pushing through my limits. I want to say thanks to my wife. She is supporting me every day. I’d say it’s not easy to support me every day, because I’m a little bit tough. Thank you for supporting me every day.”

Davidovich Fokina also stated that, despite missing out on yet another title, he is happy with his performance on the court, as he managed to achieve one of the goals he and his coaching staff set at the start of the year. "We had a job to do before we started the year, to be at the middle of the year in the top 20," said Davidovich Fokina. "This week we did it, just not with the trophy. But for sure, we will keep going, pushing our limits, pushing harder."

On the other hand, the victory was an important one for De Minaur, who has now lifted his 10th ATP title. That win pushed De Minaur to number eight in the ATP rankings. Talking about his progress, De Minaur stated that he is ‘proud’ of his achievement and is eager to take the steps forward towards competing for bigger titles. “I’m very happy with where I am at the moment how I’m dealing with things on and off the court,” said De Minaur. “I had the mindset that even if today [Sunday] didn’t go my way, it was a very positive week. So I was proud of my efforts no matter what, but jeez it feels good to hold my 10th title.”