Hubert Hurkacz loses in the final of the ATP tournament in Chengdu

The 29-year-old from Wrocław appeared in the final of an ATP event for the 13th time, previously in May last year in Geneva. He has been waiting for his ninth title since April 2024, when he won in Estoril, Portugal.

Hubert Hurkacz met the currently higher-ranked Spaniard six times previously and lost four times, including the last two duels.

A tight start to the match

The first game of Tuesday's match showed that success would not be easy this time either. The tennis players played as many as 20 points, the Pole saved three break points and finally took the lead. Later, the game was very even for a long time, but in the seventh game Davidovich Fokina, who had Russian blood in his veins and whose father was a boxer, broke the Pole's pass and the score was 4:3.

The Spaniard followed the blow, increased his advantage, and in his next service game, sealed the victory in the first set 6:4 after less than 50 minutes of play. The Wroclaw native was not helped by eight aces in this part of the match.

Hurkacz's unforced errors

Coach Gilles Cervara's player also started the second game with the lead, but apart from serving, he had no advantages that would allow him to build an advantage. The rival played more regularly, with more energy, and in the case of the Pole, unforced errors multiplied, of which he made over 30 in total. This was the case at the beginning of the 11th game, when due to simple mistakes, after which he swung with all his strength as if he wanted to smash the racket, he had to defend two break points, but thanks to an effective serve he escaped the difficulty.

Tie-break for the Spaniard

The fate of the set was decided by a tie-break. After an effective shortcut, Hurkacz took the lead 4-2, and after a while he even led 6-3. At 6-5 and on his own serve, he missed the third set point, and had the fourth at 7-6. Davidovich Fokina, who was dynamic and moved better on the court, did not give up and after further actions he achieved his goal, ending the match with a score of 9-7 after less than 110 minutes of play.

The Spaniard won the second ATP tournament; previously this season he won on grass in Majorca. Previously, he left the court defeated in five finals.

The Pole, who earned $107,000 in Chengdu, advanced to 39th position in the world ranking. Davidovich Fokina moved to 26th place.

Hurkacz must quickly move to Beijing, where another tournament starts on Wednesday, this time the ATP 500. His opponent in the 1st round will be the American Learner Tien.

Final result: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spain, 2) - Hubert Hurkacz (Poland, 5) 6:4, 7:6 (9-7)

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