Davidovich Fokina beats Hurkacz in Chengdu final for second ATP title

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina won his second ATP singles title on Tuesday, beating Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 in the Chengdu final. ABC Color reported that the Spaniard secured the hard-court trophy on his return to competition after a lengthy absence with back problems, adding to the title he won in Mallorca in June.

Watch the highlights:

The victory marked another breakthrough in an injury-disrupted season. According to AS, Davidovich Fokina had been out for two and a half months before Chengdu. His first title had come on grass in Mallorca after an earlier abdominal problem affected his clay-court campaign. He has now turned two separate returns from physical setbacks into tournament victories this year, with the latest coming in China.

Hurkacz resisted early pressure in the final, saving three break points in the opening game. Davidovich Fokina eventually broke in the seventh game and consolidated that advantage to lead 5-3 before closing out the set. ABC Color reported that Hurkacz hit eight aces in the opener, but also made 14 unforced errors.

The second set remained on serve despite further opportunities for Davidovich Fokina at 5-5. Hurkacz then moved ahead 6-3 in the tiebreak, putting himself within a point of forcing a deciding set. The Spaniard survived those three consecutive set points and recovered to finish the match without needing a third set.

El Pais highlighted the quality of Davidovich Fokina's serving and his low error count. It reported that he landed 77 percent of first serves and won 87 percent of those points, while making only eight unforced errors against Hurkacz's 32. The Polish player's 17 aces were not enough to overcome that difference in consistency over the course of the final.

Both finalists had recovered from losing the opening set in Monday's semi-finals. Davidovich Fokina beat Nikoloz Basilashvili, while Hurkacz defeated Denis Shapovalov. The tournament, an ATP 250 event, is staged at Chengdu's Sichuan International Tennis Center, according to the ATP's official event information. Its outdoor hard courts form part of the tour's Asian swing.