Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, ranked No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings, arrived in Mallorca as the tournament’s second seed and the highest-ranked player yet to win an ATP title. The 27-year-old Spaniard was seeking his first tour-level trophy at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Mallorca Championships after five consecutive defeats in ATP finals.
Davidovich Fokina had a bye in the opening round and was scheduled to face either Nick Kyrgios or Adam Walton, both from Australia, in the second round on Wednesday. He arrived in Mallorca after reaching the quarterfinals at the HSBC Championships in Queen’s, where he beat Cameron Norrie and Corentin Moutet in straight sets before losing to Tommy Paul.
His previous appearance in Mallorca, in 2023, ended without a match win. This time, he returned with greater maturity and a clear focus, eager to play before Spanish fans after missing the Barcelona tournament through injury and posting mixed results in Madrid. He said he wanted support from local spectators and a chance to test himself on Spanish grass ahead of Wimbledon.
The Mallorca Championships, held from June 21 to 27, became a breakthrough. Davidovich Fokina defeated American Ethan Quinn 7-6, 6-3 in the final to claim his first ATP Tour title, in his sixth final. The victory ended a wait that began after his tour debut in April 2019 and made him the tournament’s first Spanish champion. Reuters quoted him thanking those who had supported him: “They knew that I can achieve these kind of things. So I am very grateful (for) what they have done, because they were believing in me.”
The Mallorca title was the first of three for Davidovich Fokina in 2026. He beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 in the Chengdu final, then took his first Masters 1000 crown in Shanghai with a 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over fellow Spaniard Rafael Jódar. The Shanghai win lifted him from No. 26 to a career-high No. 13 in the ATP rankings. He finished the season a three-time champion after beginning it without an ATP singles title.
Interest in Spanish tennis remains high as players such as Davidovich Fokina seek to make their mark internationally. That attention is also evident at other major sporting events in Europe, including the recent return of the Brno circuit to the MotoGP calendar, which drew large interest from fans and media, as highlighted in this report on the Czech Grand Prix.
The ATP 250 in Mallorca is one of the few grass-court tournaments held in Spain, offering a different challenge to players accustomed to clay and hard courts. After losing his first five ATP finals, Davidovich Fokina won all three he contested in 2026. The run culminated in Shanghai, the biggest championship of his career.
