The tattoo on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s right pectoral says it all, in bold cursive: “step by step.”
The 27-year-old Spaniard took a massive step on Saturday in Mallorca, erasing demons galore as he claimed his first ATP final in his sixth ATP final.
Davidovich Fokina had squandered championship points in two of them – Delray Beach and Washington, D.C. – in 2025, but he stood tall against 22-year-old American Ethan Quinn on a warm Saturday afternoon, claiming a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory in one hour and 43 minutes.
“It feels amazing to have the first title after five finals,” he said. “Today was a very tough final. He played amazing and I was lucky in the tiebreak. I was pushing myself til the end. I knew this one had to be mine, in Spain, at home, first one – it should be mine, and I pushed a lot and the crowd was amazing today.”
Quinn hit 13 forehand winners to six for Fokina, but the Spaniard still managed to dominate from the baseline, winning 39 of 61 points from the back of the court.
Fokina, ranked 25th, broke serve twice from five opportunities.
A trade of breaks in the first led the pair to a tiebreak that saw Davidovich Fokina take his chances as he clung to a thin lead throughout. A backhand pass down the line gave Davidovich Fokina a 5-3 lead, and he won the final two points on serve to close the opening set in 62 minutes.
The Spaniard broke for 4-2 in the second set and never looked back.
“I’m happy to be here in my first final, hopefully we have a few more and hopefully I can get over that hump and get the title next time,” Fresno native Quinn said. “To Alejandro and your team, you deserve to get [the title] in your home country, so congratulations.”
An emotional, champagne spraying Davidovich Fokina thanked the crowd for helping him get through the biggest moment of his career.
“100 percent the title is for them, the Spanish people that support me through the journey,” he said. “I’m very happy how I performed today – I don’t have any words to describe this feeling right now.
“I knew I had more experience in these types of finals. Of course Ethan is a very good player, he has a bright future, today I knew that I needed to be there every point.”