Davidovich Fokina dismisses Wawrinka and joins Rublev in the Barcelona round of 16

In excellent form at the start of the season and currently ranked 8th in the Race standings, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina reached the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000.

The Spaniard, already a finalist in two tournaments this season (Delray Beach and Acapulco), fell to Carlos Alcaraz just one step away from a second final in Monaco, having reached that stage of the competition in 2022.

Competing in Barcelona, Davidovich Fokina faced Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 Monte-Carlo champion and, more notably, the 2015 Roland-Garros winner—a clay-court specialist. At 40 years old, the Swiss player is still active and capable of troubling many players on the tour.

However, the story was different today, as the 25-year-old, continuing his strong form from recent tournaments, left Wawrinka with almost no chance.

In a match he dominated despite a dip early in the second set, Davidovich Fokina secured his first career victory against his opponent (6-1, 6-4).

Trailing 4-2 in the second set, he finished strong, winning the last four games of the match to advance to the round of 16, where he will face Andrey Rublev in another high-stakes clash.

Against Wawrinka, Davidovich Fokina also secured his 19th ATP Tour win of the 2025 season. In recent days, he has returned to the top 30 and hopes to move closer to his career-high ranking (21st), which he achieved in 2023. He will face a tough challenge in the next round against the Russian, whom he has never beaten in their five previous meetings.