"You deserved it, I just got lucky" - Alex de Minaur wins hearts by consoling teary-eyed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after intense Citi DC Open final

Alex de Minaur produced an exemplary display of sportsmanship after edging Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the men's singles final at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. Davidovich Fokina, whose wait for a maiden ATP Tour-level title goes on, was understandably tearful following his heartbreaking loss in yet another final. However, de Minaur, did his best to console the Spaniard in the aftermath of the result.

On Sunday, July 27, de Minaur and Davidovich Fokina locked horns for the men's singles trophy at the combined ATP and WTA 500 hardcourt event in the American capital. It was the Spaniard who won the first set 7-5. The Australian though, roared back into the contest by winning the second 6-1, taking the pulsating encounter to a decisive third set.

In the third, Davidovich Fokina established a commanding 4-1 lead and was seemingly in pole position for the victory. However, a few loose games from the Spaniard allowed de Minaur to once again stage a comeback. Despite this, Davidovich Fokina had multiple championship points at 5-4, but failed to capitalize. Ultimately, the Australian clinched the set 7-6(3).

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina couldn't contain his tears following the conclusion of the contest. Upon taking notice of Davidovich Fokina's tearful state, Alex de Minaur took a seat beside the Spaniard on his courtside bench and offered words of support. Watch the moment below:

Later, while delivering the winner's speech, the Australian told Davidovich Fokina that his 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open title triumph boiled down to 'luck'. De Minaur also boldly predicted that sooner or later, the Spaniard will be a title-winner on the ATP Tour.

"I wanna start with Alejandro, as I told you and your team, you’re way too good to not have one of these. 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," de Minaur said.

Before losing to Alex de Minaur, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina suffered two brutal final defeats in 2025

From left to right: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, tournament director Mark Ein and Alex de Minaur during the men's singles trophy presentation ceremony at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open (Source: Getty)

At the 2025 Delray Beach Open in February, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had two championship points in the final against Miomir Kecmanovic. However, the Spaniard's inability to convert them played into the hands of the Serb, who ultimately won the final 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

In the very beginning of March, Davidovich Fokina squared off against Tomas Machac in the final of the 2025 Mexican Open in Acapulco. Once again, the Spaniard had to settle for second-best at the last hurdle, as the Czech registered a 7-6(6), 6-2 victory.

Overall, Davidovich Fokina has now reached four ATP Tour-level finals and lost them all. His maiden tour-level final outing came in the final of the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, which he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur is set to return to the ATP singles top 10 following his heroics in Washington.

Edited by Sudipto Pati