CHENGDU, September 26, 2026 (Media Release)
Second seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina made a winning Chengdu Open debut on Saturday, defeating Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-4, 6-4 to reach his sixth ATP Tour quarterfinal of the season.
Playing his first competitive match in two months, Davidovich Fokina found the decisive breakthrough in the ninth game of each set and saved the only break point he faced in the final game of the match. The World No. 29 struck 22 winners and won 76% of his service points as he improved his perfect record against the Argentine to 3-0.
“I felt a sense of relief after not playing for two months,” said Davidovich Fokina. “Starting my first match here against a left-hander was not easy, so I’m very happy with how I performed today.
“We have put a lot of work into my first serve and how I play the next ball after it, and I think that was one of the keys to winning the match.”
Fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz also booked his place in the last eight after recovering from a set down to defeat US-American Martin Damm 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 52 minutes.
After losing his serve twice in the opening set, the former World No. 6 secured an early break in the second and held on to force a decider. The players remained level through the opening eight games of the final set before Hurkacz secured the crucial break in the ninth and won four consecutive points on serve to close out the victory.
“Martin is a very difficult player to face. He has a big serve and really goes for his shots, so it wasn’t easy, especially on such a fast court. After going a set down, I knew I had to hold my serve and play a little more solidly, and I think I did that,” said Hurkacz, who withstood 18 aces from Damm while striking 13 of his own and winning 82 per cent of the points behind his first serve.
Qualifier Lloyd Harris produced the upset of the day, defeating top seed and World No. 19 Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 7-6(5) in one hour and 33 minutes to reach his first ATP Tour quarterfinal since 2023.
The former World No. 31 secured the only break of the match in the third game and protected that advantage to take the opening set. Neither player earned a break-point opportunity in the second, and Harris staged a comeback from 1-4 down in the tie-break to complete an impressive straight-sets victory.
A big upset in Chengdu 👀
Lloyd Harris shocks number one seed Vacherot to reach his first tour-level quarter-final since 2023 💪#ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/U17xZMBiQC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 26, 2026
The South African delivered a commanding serving performance, firing 16 aces, landing 78 per cent of his first serves and winning 89% of the points behind them. He did not face a break point throughout the match as he ended Vacherot’s six-match winning streak on Chinese soil.
“I feel extremely good right now. I think it helped to have played a couple of matches here already, as this was my fourth match,” said Harris. “I’m feeling quite comfortable with the conditions and the court. Obviously, it was his first match, so it was a little tricky for him at the start. I used that to my advantage nicely and finished the match strongly.”
In the remaining second-round singles match on Court 1, Frenchman Alexandre Muller became the third qualifier to reach the Chengdu Open quarterfinals this year after ending lucky loser Federico Cina’s run with a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory.
