No end to Alejandro Davidovich's title drought as final curse continues

Alejandro Davidovich suffered another agonising setback in his pursuit of a maiden ATP title, letting slip three championship points in the Washington final against Australia’s Alex de Miñaur. The Malaga local was beaten 7-5 1-6 6-7 (3) in a match that echoed earlier heartbreaks in his career.

In his fourth tour-level final, and third of a brilliant 2025 season, Davidovich again fell short at the final hurdle. Leading 5-2 in the deciding set and holding three points for the title at 5-4 on De Miñaur’s serve, the 26-year-old looked set to finally lift his first trophy. But a mix of errors and inspired defence from his opponent saw the opportunity vanish.

The match brought back memories of his collapse in Delray Beach in February, where he also let a commanding third-set lead slip. "It’s happened to me again," he said to his team during the final set in Washington, as the pressure took its toll.

Despite an impressive run that saw him defeat top-10 Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, the Rincón de la Victoria-born player left the court devastated. He covered his face with a towel after the final tiebreak, trying to hide the emotion, while De Miñaur crossed the net to offer his support.

Davidovich climbs to a career-high ATP ranking of 19 and enters the world’s top 20 for the first time, but remains the highest-ranked player without a title. Among the top 50, only Axel Michesen, Matteo Arnaldi, Corentin Moutet and Ugo Carabelli are also yet to win a trophy.

De Miñaur, in contrast, secured his ninth career title by relying on his experience and physical resilience. The Australian had lost all seven previous finals against top-10 players but improved to 9-3 when facing opponents outside that bracket.

Davidovich’s talent is not in doubt, but until he finds the mental edge to close out big matches, his wait for silverware will go on. For the man from Malaga, this was a bitter repeat of a now-familiar story.