Alexander Zverev overcame a stern challenge from Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open, prevailing 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(0) in a gripping third-round encounter.
Faced with a fired-up Davidovich Fokina and a passionate Spanish crowd at the Manolo Santana Stadium, Zverev had to dig deep to keep his title dreams alive. After losing the opening set and falling behind in the second, the German crucially captured the tie-break before recovering from a missed opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4 in the decider. He eventually sealed the victory after two hours and 44 minutes.
“The first set wasn’t my best tennis, but this is sport and things can change quickly,” Zverev said. “I was down a set and a break and had to fight hard. I’m very happy with the win. Alejandro is playing unbelievable tennis, the best of his life, so I’m glad to be through.”
It All Adds Up
Davidovich Fokina has been enjoying a strong season, highlighted by runner-up finishes in Delray Beach and Acapulco, along with a semi-final showing at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo. He showed great confidence and aggression throughout large parts of their sixth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (now 5-1 in Zverev’s favour).
However, after breaking back at 4-5 in the final set, the Spaniard was unable to capitalise, overhitting forehands during the tie-break. With his defeat, Spanish hopes in the men’s draw at Madrid came to an end this year.
Zverev, a two-time champion in Madrid, extended his winning streak to seven matches, having also claimed the title last week in Munich. Currently ranked No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Zverev struck 11 aces and committed 17 fewer unforced errors (28 to Davidovich Fokina’s 45) to advance to a fourth-round meeting with Francisco Cerundolo.
