Dubai tennis: Jannik Sinner wins ‘close match’ vs Alejandro Fokina

  DUBAI - Jannik Sinner came close to the exit as he faced down three match points before emerging with a 4-6 7-6 6-3 over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday (February 22). The closely fought match took a draining two hours 31 minutes. Davidovich Fokina, who broke in the final game of the first set and then held a 6-3 lead in the second set tiebreak before Sinner edged it 8-6. Then just one break of serve separated them in the final set. "I just was trying to stay focused on the present because obviously the match was very, very close. He was one point away. I just tried," said Sinner. "I was lucky also a little bit because the first match point he played out which was not so far. But then I think the rest I played quite well. In the third set I felt more comfortable and I raised the level," Sinner said. Karen Khachanov was another who became embroiled in a fight to survive as he needed two hours 46 minutes to overcome Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-7 7-5. Khachanov claimed the first set and came within two points of victory in the second as he led 6-5, but de Minaur took the set to a tiebreak which he swept 7-1. Khachanov once again led 6-5 in the final set and this time he broke serve to close out the contest on his third match point. In another battle that hung in the balance until the very end, sixth seed Denis Shapovalov needed two hours 27 minutes to beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6 6-4 7-5, but former champion Roberto Bautista Agut was a comfortable 6-3 6-4 winner over Arthur Rinderknech. ICA/Expat Media
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