By Richard Pagliaro Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Image source: Australian Open Facebook
A thrilling five-set showdown Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Riley Opelka Kia Arena gets loud and crowded.
Davidovich Fokina was annoyed by the “four ignorant drunkards” in the audience. He defeated the American team’s 37 ACE balls 6-3, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 to enter the third round of the Australian Open for the second time.
Davidovich Fokina then plowed into four apparently drunk fans who were cheering for Opelka as the Spaniard slipped on the pitch and sprained his ankle.
“Yeah, well, I sprained my ankle and he won the point. I think it’s unfair for me and they cheered the point because maybe I could have sprained the worst,” Davidovich Fokina said. “But, no, it’s a cheap twist. I
Nothing. I don’t have any pain.
“But in the end it’s unfair for them to cheer at that moment because it was a point of freedom for him.”
The 14th-seeded Spaniard said that aside from cheers from “four ignorant drunks” after his fall, the atmosphere in the crowd was generally exciting.
“I thought it was a very good match today,” said Davidovich Fokina. “People want to see a fifth
put. It can happen here or anywhere in the world.
“So there are four ignorant drunks and there’s nothing I can do about it. That’s it.”
What a win!
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeated Reilly Opelka in five sets that lasted nearly four hours to advance to the third round against Tommy Paul.
6-3, 7-6(3), 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.
The serve was broken twice in the whole game and for the second time in the last game. He was very excited. pic.twitter.com/KUdFLkXvZr
— Jose Morgado (@josemorgado) January 21, 2026
Each man converted 2 of 11 break point opportunities. Davidovich Fokina survived 78 winners from Opelka, winning 23 of 30 net points.
Davidovic aims to equal his AO fourth-round best this week as he faces a familiar face, Opelka’s former roommate, Tommy Paul, Compete for the top 16 seats.
The 20th-ranked Paul has a 4-0 lifetime record against Davidovich Fokina, with two of the four wins coming at Melbourne Park, including a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 defeat in the fourth round in 2025.
“It’s going to be a battle. We played twice here,” Davidovich Fokina said of Paul. “The first
It was five sets and he beat me. I died last year. I won’t count that one.
“But every time I practice or play against him, he always applies a lot of pressure, even on serve and return. So our games are probably similar, but maybe I’m more aggressive than him.”
