ATP Tour

Davidovich Fokina reaches 7th ATP Tour final in Chengdu: 'It's another chance to enjoy'

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina moved to within one win of a second ATP Tour title of the season on Monday at the Chengdu Open, where he overcame Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to book his place in the final.

Playing his first tournament since Umag in July, Davidovich Fokina had progressed through the week without dropping a set before being pushed to three for the first time by the big-hitting Basilashvili. The second-seeded Spaniard recovered from a slow start to complete a two-hour comeback victory against the qualifier.

Davidovich Fokina endured five consecutive defeats in ATP Tour finals before finally breaking through in Mallorca in June. The 27-year-old now has the opportunity to add another trophy to his collection in Chengdu, where he awaits Denis Shapovalov and Hubert Hurkacz in Tuesday’s final.

“Now I want to think about recovering as best as possible. I don’t want to think about the trophy,” Davidovich Fokina said when asked about the final. “It’s another match, another chance to enjoy on court. Today I was enjoying it a lot. I was fighting a lot. That’s what I want to do tomorrow. I don’t care about the title. I just want to enjoy, performance as best as possible, and try to win.”

The Spaniard held firm under pressure throughout the contest, saving seven of the nine break points he faced, including all six he confronted in the deciding set, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

By reaching his seventh career ATP Tour final, Davidovich Fokina has risen two places to No. 27 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.