Davidovich embraces madness and confines Tiafoe in his insane asylum in one of the matches of the year

Carlos Navarro - 11 Oct 2026 | 17:38
Alejandro Davidovich frances tiafoe ATP ATP Shanghái 2026

Impressive victory for the player from Malaga against Frances to advance to the round of 16 in Shanghai: he saved a match point in the final tiebreak and showed incredible bravery. Is this his moment?

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Davidovich and an Epic Victory.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina begins to embrace the epic. The hot moments. The pressure points. The feeling of being on the edge of the abyss, dancing on a precipice... and coming out victorious. The ATP Shanghai 2026 is starting to rise as a magnificent opportunity for Foki to go far in a major tournament again, and perhaps today, after an agonizing victory over Frances Tiafoe (7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(6)), the long-awaited turning point for him in this tournament has arrived. A victory of grit, of tenacity... and of knowing how to seize opportunities.

We did not know that tonight's session in the Chinese city would bring us such a strong emotional duel. Both Frances and Álex are two of the most talented players of our time, two players who share a preference for changing pace, direction, and opting for precision over power. Bringing them together on a tennis court, therefore, is something different from what we are used to seeing, a tennis delight that is not always accompanied by great mental form, as both would reflect throughout the evening.

This is how Davidovich secured one of the most important victories of the year: a crazy comeback in the madhouse against Tiafoe

2 hours and 47 minutes of pure tennis. That is the only way to define what is already one of the most exciting matches of the season, a rollercoaster of emotions in which both saved a tense conclusion. The equality in the first set was based on a constant: both sought to attack with their backhand, hitting cross-court on every short ball, with a Foki who was managing his energy well during this long Asian tour and a Frances who intended to secure his spot in the ATP Finals with this victory.

In the tiebreak, Davidovich was better, proving once again that he is a different player in pressure points. He was braver than an inconsistent Frances to take it, sinking the American into a small mental pit. It seemed like the best moment to finish him off, riding the wave of confidence from the start of the second set: Tiafoe's first two service games were a small struggle, with both reaching deuce, but he managed to hold on and found precision with his serve as the set progressed.

Here, perhaps, Foki lacked the killer instinct of many others. Maybe just a definitive shot to win points quickly, without overthinking too much. The forces balanced out, Frances grew through the serve plus one, and Davidovich, amidst complaints about the size and difficulty of controlling the ball, drowned in a glass of water. Costly errors amidst complaints and a second set for the American, who threatened to be the one to take advantage of the positive momentum.

It was then that, throughout a third set in which he was slightly inferior until its final stretch, Davidovich responded, stepped up, and showed that he is ready to make a leap in quality on the circuit. Tiafoe was holding his service games easily, finding the lines with precision... but when it came to closing the match, only one racket showed sufficient bravery: the Spaniard saved up to six break points throughout the final set, including a 0-40 at 3-all, doing so aggressively, with cross-court backhands to the line and even a volley diving to the ground (à la Boom Boom Becker), punishing a Tiafoe unable to be offensive with the second serves from the Málaga player.

That fear of winning would cost Foki dearly, who freed himself from his mental ghosts in the final tiebreak: he suffered, had to save a match point (where the pattern of the previous break points repeated, with Frances being extremely passive, to the point of falling during the point while defending) and saw the American implode with the first point in his favor. Tiafoe could not find the gaps in the important moments, and Davidovich unleashed, leaving an image to remember: celebrating the victory while his rival destroyed his racket against the ground before the final handshake. One of those matches that show why tennis is the best sport in the world: two not always main actors embraced under a layer of tension, intrigue, many quality points, and an unforgettable finish. Foki, with a license to dream in Shanghai: now he awaits Hubert Hurkacz in the round of 16, whom he already defeated a couple of weeks ago in Chengdu. What if he does?

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Davidovich abraza la locura y encierra en su manicomio a Tiafoe en uno de los partidos del año