‘Speed Demon’ Alex de Minaur improved to 28-13 for the season following a solid first-round victory over Yunchaokete Bu. De Minaur, making his first appearance since his 4th round exit to Djokovic at Wimbledon, needed a first-set tiebreak to fend off the stubborn Chinese baseliner.
2025 ATP Tour
ATP 500
Mubadala Citi Open (Washington Open)
William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Centre, Washington D.C. (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 24th-25th July
24th July
Alex de Minaur (7) vs Jiri Lehecka (11)
But he really started to dominate in the 2nd set, using his supreme athleticism and outrageous defensive ability to force Bu into 14 errors. De Minaur has been at this attritional best this season, finishing runner-up in Rotterdam while performing consistently well in big tournaments. He has looked to evolve these past 12 months or so, injecting more power into his game to dictate more rallies. I still think he lacks the overwhelming firepower necessary to become a legitimate Grand Slam contender. In any event, de Minaur does have some positive experience to draw on in Washington, finishing runner-up here back in 2018. He looked sharp in the closing stages of his opener and will feel confident of another deep Washington run.
23-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka has had a bit of a boom-or-bust campaign. He started the year on fire, winning his 2nd career title in Brisbane before an encouraging 4th round run at the Aussie Open. He would go on to reach the Qatar semifinals but really struggled in the subsequent months, going 0-2 during the ‘Sunshine Double’. He continued to struggle on clay, but he suddenly came to life during the grass-court swing, finishing runner-up to Alcaraz at Queen’s (he even managed to claw a set off the Spanish wunderkind). He flopped against Bellucci at Wimbledon and struggled in his Washington opener, needing three sets to overcome American Zachary Svajda. His serve looked in decent shape against Svajda: he served 11 aces and won 84% of his first-serve points. Lehecka will be pleased to have come through that tie and will need an improved performance as he squares up against the Aussie. He has some decent history on North American hardcourts, finishing runner-up at the Winston-Salem Open back in 2023.
The Verdict: Lehecka to win in three at – These two share the head-to-head spoils at one win apiece, with Lehecka winning in straight sets at this year’s Queen’s Championships. This should be a tight clash, with both players capable of brilliant defensive hustling. I just think that Lehecka’s booming serve plus one game could see him over the line in three.
25th July
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (12) vs Learner Tien
12th seeded Spainard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina looked awesome in his Washington opener, taking down compatriot Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-3. The Spainard has played plenty of tennis this year and is arguably enjoying the best season of his career, picking up notable results on all three surfaces. He looked particularly authoritative during the early hard-court swing, reaching the 4th round of the Aussie Open before finishing runner-up in two finals (in Delray Beach and Acapulco). He then got his clay-court campaign off to a fast start with a semifinal run at the Masters event in Monte-Carlo. He overperformed during the grass-court swing, reaching the Eastbourne semifinals before nicking a set off Fritz in their 3rd round Wimbledon clash. Davidovich Fokina is a versatile baseliner who isn’t afraid to mix things up with underarm serves and drop-shots. He will be keen for a deep run as he looks to continue his impressive, under-the-radar campaign.
Teen sensation Learner Tien has developed a bit of knack for giant-killing. He looked sensational in his round of 16 clash with 5th seed Andrey Rublev, absorbing the Russian’s bombs to win 7-5, 6-2. The victory over Rublev was his 4th top ten win of the season: he beat Medvedev in Melbourne, Zverev in Acapulco and Shelton in Mallorca. Tien was hardly at his fluid best against Rublev, hitting 31 unforced errors in a scrappy tie. Rublev was simply shocking, committing 42 errors as he failed to come to terms with the lefty’s tactical smarts. Tien enjoyed a sensational start to the campaign, becoming the youngest man since Nadal in 2005 to reach the 4th round of the Aussie Open. He followed that up with a quarterfinal run in Acapulco, but he has struggled to sustain that intensity (which isn’t surprising for a teenager just emerging from lower-tier tennis). But he has welcomed this return to home soil, winning both of his Washington ties in straight sets.
The Verdict: Davidovich Fokina to win in straight sets at – This will be their first career meeting. I suspect Tien could experience a dip after that huge Rublev victory. Also, Davidovich Fokina is one of the best movers on tour and should be able to respond to Tien’s strategic shot-making. Davidovich Fokina has already reached two hard-court finals this year and should have the experience to see of the up-and-coming American.
