Alejandro Davidovich Fokina conquers Holger Rune in tense Madrid thriller

WATCH: Davidovich Fokina won a dramatic match in just over three hours over the No. 6 seed.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina edged into the Mutua Madrid Open fourth round in dramatic fashion early Monday morning, knocking out No. 6 seed Holger Rune, 7-6 (1), 5-7, 7-6 (5) to the delight of the home crowd on Manolo Santana Stadium.

The Spaniard was five points from victory in the second set and served for it in the third only for Rune to recover each time before a deciding tiebreak secured him his first Top 10 win of 2023 in three hours and four minutes.

“Mentally and physically, it was very hard,” Davidovich Fokina said on court. “Rune is a very good player. There were always tough games and we had to stay focused on every serve because you never know when you’ll have break points.

“I had my chances in the third set, but I had a lot of tension and was a little bit anxious to finish the point. I did it well, and I’m very happy.”

I felt their energy and I was like, ‘I don’t want to go home. I want to win this game. It doesn’t matter if I’m cramping or if I have a lot of tension, but I want to win.’ Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on the Madrid crowd's support

It was a match that had a little of everything, starting in the first set when a dispute over a FoxTenn replay led to a delay as Davidovich Fokina argued with umpire Carlos Bernardes and an ATP supervisor.

Perhaps unwisely, Rune responded to the debate by examining the mark in question, triggering boos from the partisan crowd that would ultimately follow the Dane, who turned 20 years old on Saturday, until he left the court after three brutal sets.

“When that happened, the crowd, the people, were more full with me,” said the Spaniard, affectionately called “Foki.” “I felt their energy and I was like, ‘I don’t want to go home. I want to win this game. It doesn’t matter if I’m cramping or if I have a lot of tension, but I want to win.’”

The battle of former Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalists ticked well past midnight when Davidovich Fokina earned what appeared to be a crucial break in the eighth game but failed to end the match on serve and struggled with cramps as Rune reeled off 10 of the next 12 points.

Regaining his composure, Davidovich Fokina held on to force another tiebreak, converting on his second match point that sent the young Dane tumbling to the court from a well-executed backhand pass.

“I don’t know what hour it is, but it’s incredible that people stayed here and supported me,” said the No. 29-seed. “I appreciate them a lot because it’s not easy to stay here at one o’clock on Sunday.”

Competing in a wide-open quarter, Davidovich Fokina will next face Borna Coric to reach his fourth Masters 1000 quarterfinal—and second of the season.