WASHINGTON: Alex De Minaur rallied from a set down and saved three match points to claim the Washington Open title with a win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while Leylah Fernandez earned the biggest win of her career as she crushed Anna Kalinskaya to lift the women’s crown on Sunday.

Seventh seed De Minaur prevailed 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(7/3) but at one point looked to be heading for defeat against his 12th-seeded Spanish opponent after trailing 5-2 in the deciding set in Washington.

But Davidovich Fokina — chasing the first ATP title of his career after losing in three previous final appearances — failed to capitalise on his hefty lead.

The Spaniard appeared to tighten when serving for the match at 5-3 up to allow De Minaur to claw it back to 5-4.

But Davidovich Fokina responded to that missed opportunity by then earning three match points on the Australian’s serve in the next game.

Yet once again, the Spaniard was unable to take advantage and De Minaur survived to hold serve and level the match at 5-5.

The next two games went on serve to set up the tie break and De Minaur was quickly in control, sealing victory on the first of three match points with an ace, to settle a 3hr 2mins slugfest.

De Minaur said he had never doubted his ability to turn around the final.

“I just kind of knew I could do it,” De Minaur said in his on-court interview. “I just backed myself to commit no matter what, and if I lost this match, it was going to be on my terms.

“I’ve had a couple of brutal ones not go go my way, so I’m glad this one went my way,” the 26-year-old from New South Wales said.

The win was another agonizing setback for Davidovich Fokina, who had already reached — and lost — two other finals this season.

The defeat echoed his loss in the final at Delray Beach in February, when he was unable to convert two match points before losing to Miomir Kecmanovic.

“Congratulations to Alex, he deserved the win,” Davidovich Fokina said. “He was fighting for every ball. He always pushed me to my limits.”

Earlier in the women’s decider, Fernandez comfortably won one of the most important fixture of her career so far 6-1, 6-2 against the Russian.

After a brief rain delay in the nation’s capital, Fernandez — who was just one game away from defeat in the semi-finals — overcame the extreme humidity to capture her first WTA 500 title in her first final in over a year.

“In the beginning of the tournament (there) was still a lot of doubt, but as the tournament progressed, I was starting to play better,” Fernandez said.

“I have gone through so many different challenges this week. I think it has just made me stronger in a way, that if I can get through this week — through the cramps, through the long matches, through the heat and humidity — I can get through anything.”

The Canadian gained the upper hand early on, securing a break thanks to a Kalinskaya double fault, before breaking again with a sharp return winner.

The Russian world number 48 appeared to struggle physically as Fernandez calmly served out the opening set in just under half an hour.

Kalinskaya could not find her stride in the match, dropping serve twice in the second set, while the 22-year-old Fernandez remained in control, never looking back on her way to the title.

Fernandez will look to carry her momentum into her home tournament, the Canadian Open in Montreal, where she faces Australia’s Maya Joint in the first round.

“Montreal is a whole different monster,” Fernandez said. “It’s a bigger draw, longer tournament. It’s going to be start from zero.”

Kalinskaya, who will play against American Ann Li, remains in search of her maiden WTA title after another setback in a final.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2025