Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has continued his impressive record against Ben Shelton to reach the Washington Open final.
Davidovich Fokina has now beaten three American players in the US capital, including world number four Taylor Fritz.
Many players fear the big serve of Shelton, but that does not appear to be so much the case for Davidovich Fokina.
After continuing his unbeaten record against the young American, Davidovich Fokina revealed what the secret to his success is.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina explains the key to his unbeaten record against Ben Shelton
This is the third time that Davidovich Fokina has beaten Shelton, with two of those victories coming this year.
Davidovich Fokina overcame a controversial moment against Shelton to win the semifinal, 6-2 7-5.
After the match, the Spaniard spoke in his post-match press conference about how he is consistently able to beat the world number eight.
“Well, I will not say how strategically how I need to play against him, but I know that he’s a very big server, very big forehand,” said Davidovich Fokina.
“At the end, I knew that I know my weakness, I know my power, and I know that I’m very good returner. Then it’s a tricky match, because at the end I can read a little bit how he serve. And at the end, I can do that he thinks more than maybe other players.
“He did a very good serve today but a lot of double faults, and I went so much back because the second serve was bouncing a lot. I knew that I have to play deep, long, and just open the point, because physically I was there every point today.
“In the other matches, the first match that we played in Paris was a little bit, we didn’t know each other, we didn’t know what was happening, but in Monte-Carlo was something the same at the end. Different conditions. Was so slow. And in rally, when we play in a rally, I know that I have more chances than him.”
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2023 | Paris Masters (R64) | Davidovich Fokina beat Shelton, 7-6(4) 6-7 6-3 |
| 2025 | Monte Carlo Masters (R64) | Davidovich Fokina beat Shelton, 6(2)-7 6-2 6-1 |
| 2025 | Washington Open (SF) | Davidovich Fokina beat Shelton, 6-2 7-5 |
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s record in ATP finals
Although Davidovich Fokina has an impressive record against Shelton, he has a significantly less successful record in the finals of ATP tournaments.
The world number 26 is the highest ranked player on the ATP Tour who is yet to win a title, and will be hoping to change that at the Washington Open.
Davidovich Fokina has lost his three previous finals, including at the Delray Beach Open earlier this year where he had two match points.
| Year | Tournament | Final Result |
| 2022 | Monte Carlo Masters | Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Davidovich Fokina, 6-3 7-6(3) |
| 2025 | Delray Beach Open | Miomir Kecmanovic beat Davidovich Fokina, 3-6 6-1 7-5 |
| 2025 | Mexican Open | Tomas Machac beat Davidovich Fokina, 7-6(6) 6-2 |
The 26-year-old will be looking to win his first ATP title at the Washington Open in the final against Alex de Minaur.
Davidovich Fokina and De Minaur have played four times before, winning two matches apiece.
However, they have not played a match against one another since the 2023 Canadian Open semifinals, where De Minaur won in straight sets.
