Alejandro Davidovich claims Chengdu title after flawless return from injury

Alejandro Davidovich has capped his return to the ATP Tour with a commanding victory at the Chengdu Open, beating Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 in Tuesday's final.

The 29-year-old, ranked 29th in the world, had not played competitively since 16 July after suffering a back injury. However, despite the lengthy lay-off, he produced one of the most assured performances of his career against the Polish former top-10 player.

Davidovich was particularly impressive on serve. He landed 77 per cent of his first serves, winning 87 per cent of the points behind them, while hitting eight aces and making just eight unforced errors. Hurkacz, by contrast, made 32 unforced errors.

The Malaga player made an early statement of intent, forcing Hurkacz to save three break points during a 12-minute opening game. He eventually found the breakthrough in the seventh game, having saved the only break point he faced himself, and went on to take the first set 6-4.

Hurkacz, who has won eight ATP titles and reached the world number eight spot, put up greater resistance in the second set. Davidovich continued to hold firm, however, and even created two break points at 5-5 before the Pole escaped with two big serves.

The second-set tie-break provided the biggest test. Davidovich fell 3-6 behind and faced three set points but recovered to level at 6-6 before sealing the championship at the net.

The title was Davidovich's second of 2026, following his triumph in Mallorca on grass earlier this year. It also marked his second title from eight career finals after he had lost his first five.

Davidovich credited his change in mentality before the final, saying: "I don't want to think about the trophy. It's just another match, another opportunity to enjoy myself on court. I don't care about the title, I want to enjoy it."

He now travels to Tokyo for the ATP 500 event, where he will face Matteo Berrettini in the first round. The pair are level at 1-1 in their previous meetings.