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Aussie and Korean win wild card play-offs
The 2018 season is still two weeks away, yet a pair of #NextGenATP stars are already carrying significant momentum into their new campaigns. Alex de Minaur and Soon-woo Kwon continue to make great strides in their push towards the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, with both securing main draw wild cards at the Australian Open.

On Sunday, 18-year-old De Minaur, the highest-ranked Aussie teen, won the Australian Open Wild Card Play-off with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-1 victory over Alex Bolt. The World No. 208 will make his second straight appearance at his home Grand Slam, after reaching the second round on debut in 2017.

"I feel like I thoroughly deserve this one – that’s what happens when you are actually playing for one," De Minaur said following the match. "I couldn’t be happier with my level and I can't wait for the Australian summer to come.

"I think I’ve still got a lot to get better at. But this week my level was great throughout. I didn’t think I dropped my concentration at all."

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Past and future Australian tennis. @lleytonhewitt presents @alexdeminaur with his @AustralianOpen accreditation. #ALPlayoff

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In January, De Minaur crashed onto the scene with a thrilling five-set upset of Gerald Melzer in his debut Down Under. And the former junior No. 2 would later crack the Top 200 for the first time after finishing runner-up at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Segovia, Spain, in August.

Kwon, meanwhile, will make his tour-level debut after winning the Asia-Pacific Wild Card Play-off. The 20-year-old Korean did not drop a set throughout the competition, sealing his place in the first Grand Slam of the year with a 6-1, 6-1 win over China's Zhe Li. The play-off exclusively features players from the Asia-Pacific region.

It has been an impressive conclusion to 2017 for #NextGenATP Koreans, following Hyeon Chung's victory at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last month. Kwon will look to build on a career-high of No. 168 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after posting a 27-17 record on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. He reached his first finals in Yokohama (l. to Sugita) and Seoul (l. to Fabbiano).

The 2018 Australian Open begins on 15 January.

Dolgopolov upsets sixth-seeded Schwartzman

It did not take long for the thrills to begin in the 2018 ATP World Tour season.

Australian #NextGenATP contender Alex de Minaur put on a show for his home crowd on the final day of 2017, earning the best win of his young career by ranking, defeating World No. 44 Steve Johnson 7-6(7), 6-4 at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp on Sunday.

The 18-year-old wild card saved five set points — two while serving at 5-6 and three more in the ensuing tie-break — in the opening set before riding the momentum to his third ATP World Tour victory.

“It was the best way to finish off the year. I couldn't ask for more. I beat a high-quality opponent and I'm stoked,” said de Minaur, who is No. 208 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “I think I showed how I can play today and it's all about maintaining that level. So next up I've got a very quality opponent, so I'm going to look forward to battling with him and see what I can do there.”

Despite falling behind a break, 3-4, in the second set, de Minaur bounced back to break the 28-year-old American twice in a row to close out the match. He will face fourth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic in the second round.

But the home favourite’s triumph was not the only interesting result on the first day of the 2018 campaign. Alexandr Dolgopolov upset sixth-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 7-6(3).

The Ukrainian avenged a 2016 loss (Buenos Aires) against the Argentine, winning the first main draw ATP World Tour match of the new season.

Dolgopolov did not face a break point in the opening set and looked in control when he broke and held for a 3-0 lead in the second set. Despite faltering at the finish line — he failed to serve out the battle at 5-3 — Dolgopolov recovered to advance to a second-round encounter against the winner of Horacio Zeballos and qualifier Ernesto Escobedo in one hour, 34 minutes.

Nitto ATP Finals champions Henri Kontinen and John Peers kicked off the new doubles campaign with a 7-6(3), 6-4 triumph over Canadians Raonic and Denis Shapovalov in 73 minutes, saving all six break points they faced.

De Minaur, Mmoh advance to first ATP World Tour quarter-finals

#NextGenATP contender Alex de Minaur continued his impressive start to the season with a stunning 6-4, 6-4 upset win over fourth seed Milos Raonic at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Australian backed up his first round win over Steve Johnson in impressive style to topple 2016 champion Raonic in one hour and 34 minutes. Describing the win as a ‘tremendous high’, de Minaur pointed to his levels of self-belief as a key factor in pulling off such a great win.

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“You've got to into every match believing that you can win,” said de Minaur. “I just go out to every match the same, trying to play my game and leave it all out there.

“That way you're going to get yourself into a lot of matches and get yourself a lot of opportunities. It's all about taking those small opportunities, which I feel like I did today, and it helped me get the biggest win in my career.”

The wildcard took full advantage of his opportunity with three breaks of the Raonic serve to secure his place in the final eight where he will meet fellow #NextGen ATP talent Michael Mmoh.

“I played him (Mmoh) in juniors. I know him quite well. It's going to be a very fun match [with] two young guys battling it out. [It] can't get much better than that. I'm really looking forward to it and we'll see what happens,” said de Minaur.

Riding high off the confidence of his first ATP World Tour victory in the first round, American Mmoh upset eighth seed Mischa Zverev 6-2 5-7 6-4. The 19-year-old started well, cruising through the first set, but he didn’t have it all his own way as Zverev fought back to take a tense second set before establishing a lead in the decider.

Mmoh would not shy away from the challenge though, fighting back from break point down at 1-3 to level at 3-3 before breaking in the tenth and final game of the match to clinch a landmark victory.

“It was a rollercoaster of a match,” said Mmoh. “[There were] a lot of ups and downs and emotions and it was a battle the whole way through. I’ll never give up. I’m a great competitor and I’ll fight until the last point and that is going to be something you will see as long as I am playing tennis.”

Now, with no seeded players remaining in the bottom half of the draw, Mmoh is well aware of his chance to make a first ATP World Tour semi-final appearance and will look to reverse the fortunes of his loss to de Minaur in the 2015 US Open juniors.

“You don’t play an 18-year-old in the quarter-finals of ATP World Tour 250 event too often. It’s going to be a good match.”

At just 18 years old, the young Australian is one of the most promising talents on the ATP World Tour

“That was incredible!”

“Thanks, Lleyton.”

On Wednesday night, Alex de Minaur earned his most important victory as a professional so far by defeating Milos Raonic, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of Brisbane International presented by Suncorp. In the tunnel between the changing rooms and the court, de Minaur was congratulated by Australian legend Lleyton Hewitt, who plays an advisory role in steering de Minaur through the early stages of his career.

By defeating Raonic, the 2016 champion in Brisbane and this year's fourth seed, de Minaur earned a spot in the quarter-finals and improved on his previous best showing (Round of 32 in 2017). This year, de Minaur is in a different position.


“I've improved a lot of aspects of my game,” the Australian told ATPWorldTour.com following his win over Raonic at Pat Rafter Arena. “I'm in better shape, both physically and mentally. Obviously, that helps me a lot on the court. It gives me a lot of confidence to know that I can play against the likes of Raonic and be competitive.”

De Minaur lifted his game at key moments throughout the match. The #NextGenATP rising star nullified Raonic's powerful serves and fed off the support of an enthusiastic crowd that was eager to see their countryman win. De Minaur, for his part, showed poise and always gave fans reason to believe he could upset Raonic, even when matters got complicated.

“At the end of the day, you have to be convinced you can win once you step on the court,” de Minaur said. “If I don't believe I can win, then I should just stay home. What's the point in playing if I don't think I can win? Of course I had my doubts. Only a small bit of me believed I could actually beat [Raonic], honestly, but that was all I needed. I tried to enjoy myself on the court and give the fans that came to support me a good time. That's what I do, and it's working so far.”

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Born in Sydney to a Uruguayan father and Spanish mother, de Minaur spent the first years of his life in Spain. At a young age, de Minaur returned with his parents to Sydney when they opened a restaurant, in addition to a car wash they previously owned in the Australian city. Soon after, de Minaur took up tennis and, with the help of the Australian Tennis Federation, eventually made the leap into the professional ranks.

Of all the support de Minaur has received in Australia, it's been Hewitt who has provided his expert vision and guidance in grooming de Minaur as he started his career. Hewitt was courtside for de Minaur's first two matches in Brisbane.

“It means a lot to me that he's there to give me advice,” de Minaur said of the former World No. 1. “He has a lot of faith in me and that I have the game to compete with the best in the world. One of the first things he told me was to believe in myself. It helps to have him in my corner in situations like [the Raonic match]; he breaks down how to deal with the pressure and the expectations.”

De Minaur also expressed his gratitude to his coach, Adolfo Gutierrez, who has been a key player in the Australian's progress as a player. The pair currently train in Alicante, Spain.


“Having Adolfo Gutierrez, with whom I have been working for almost eight years, is very important for me,” De Minaur said of the Spanish coach. “He knows both sides of me, on and off the court. For that reason, I'm happy to experience this with him, and that we're realising the best victories of my career together.”

The first weeks of 2017 were a dream come true for de Minaur: He battled through qualifiers in Brisbane and played his first main draw match at an ATP World Tour event (l. Alexander Zverev). A week later, he earned his first ATP World Tour win by defeating Benoit Paire at the Sydney International.

Finally, de Minaur made the perfect Grand Slam debut by saving a match point and storming back to defeat Gerald Melzer in five sets during the first round of the Australian Open, winning the hearts of Australian fans in the process.

With a place in the quarter-finals in Brisbane and a promising 2018 ahead, de Minaur has no plans to slow down; the goal is to reach his full potential.