Alejandro Davidovich Fokina gives 'death stare' as Russian Pavel Kotov shocks the Spaniard in Mallorca

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had a match to forget in the second round of the 2023 Mallorca Championships.

Davidovich Fokina won the first set pretty easily, 6-2, but Kotov, ranked No. 116, turned it up in the second set. In the fourth game of the second set, there was a controversial moment, as Kotov hit Davidovich Fokina in the body with a volley to make it 15-all.

The Spaniard proceeded to give Kotov a 'death stare' after the point, with the Russian first apologizing and then smiling.

Kotov proceeded to break the second seed of the Mallorca Championships in that game, giving him his first break of the match. Not only that, but the 24-year-old from Moscow managed to turn the entire match around, eventually winning, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, after more drama.

When serving out the second set, Kotov saved a break point. When serving for the match, the Russian went 0-40 down but managed to win five points in a row to complete the upset over the World No. 34.

Pavel Kotov will play South Africa's Lloyd Harris in the third round, after the South African defeated Bernabe Zapata Miralles, 6-2, 7-6(2), in the first round, and Roman Safiullin, 7-6(5), 6-3, in the second round. This will be their first head-to-head encounter.

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Alejandro Davidovich Fokina recalls Wimbledon 2017 Boys' singles title

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after winning boy's singles Wimbledon 2017

Although grass is not the surface on which Alejandro Davidovich Fokina feels most comfortable, the truth is that the World No. 33 already knows what it is to win a great title on the surface.

The Spaniard did it in 2017, when he won the Wimbledon Boys' singles trophy after defeating Axel Geller, 7-6(2), 6-3, in the final.

"My junior Wimbledon title was an experience that is in my backpack and it all adds up even if it was a long time ago," Davidovich Fokina said during the Mallorca Championships media day.

Even though he had success at the junior level, it never translated over to the professional tour. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina's best result at Wimbledon is the second round in 2022, where he lost to Jiri Vesely, after shocking Hubert Hurkacz at the start of the tournament.

"In the end my game on grass is quite complete and I can be more aggressive on this surface. I can also use the drop shots or go up to volley, the serve helps me and what I do have to pay attention to is the bounces of the ball that are very particular," the Spaniard added.