Delete
Davidovich celebrates during his match against De Miñaur. REUTERS
Davidovich shines and advances to the quarter-final at Queen's

Davidovich shines and advances to the quarter-final at Queen's

The Rincón de la Victoria local completed a comeback against Álex de Miñaur (4-6, 6-5 and 7-5) and makes it further than ever in a grass court tournament

PEDRO LUIS ALONSO

Thursday, 16 June 2022, 11:53

Compartir

Alejandro Davidovich (ranked 44th) reached new heights yesterday as he advanced to the quarter-final of the Queen's Club Championship, a round he has never played in a grass court tournament. He defeated Álex de Miñaur (24th) by completing an impressive comeback (4-6, 6-4 and 7-5).

Davidovich won Wimbledon juniors back in 2017, but that isn't to say he's a specialist on grass. In fact, he isn't, but he has taken big steps to improve on this tricky surface, which no Spaniard has ever really dominated. The style of play on grass requires knowing how to slide, being aggresive and shortening points with a good serve.

Precise planning

The Rincón de la Victoria local played out a well-thought match, excellently building up his points tally against an opponent who was the favourite. The expectation for De Miñaur to win the match increased when he took the first set when he won three consecutive break points.

But the Australian ensured that the match had a higher tempo than a usual meeting on grass, as he is not known for having a particularly strong serve, which is often a key trait to have on these surfaces and can be difficult to deal with.

Davidovich only grew in confidence as the match wore on, even if he was a set down. He went from winning 57% of his first-serve points in the first set to 69% in the second ; and held off his opponent for a tenth game, which the Spaniard eventually won to make it 6-4 and force a third set.

Both players put on a show in the third set, with some incredible shots. Despite De Miñaur's aggresivesness, Davidovich achieved another break point when the set was tied 4-4.

He later took advantage of his first match ball in the twelfth game, which saw him win 7-5 and book his ticket to the quarter-finals, which he will play tomorrow against Botic Van de Zandschulp.

Reporta un error en esta noticia

* Campos obligatorios