Alex de Minaur

[arti]

No. 22, Alex de Minaur, +9
The #NextGenATP Australian picked up his third ATP Tour trophy of the season at the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships. De Minaur, who has also lifted titles in Sydney and Atlanta this year, defeated John Millman, former World No. 1 Andy Murray, fourth seed Borna Coric and second seed Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the championship match in Zhuhai. Following his final victory against Adrian Mannarino, the 20-year-old leaps nine spots to No. 22 in the ATP Race To London. Read Final Report.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... ember-2019

[Barty]

De Minaur Takes Third Title Of 2019, Edges Closer To Top 20

Spoiler:

Aussie dominates on serve again to win ATP 250 title
#NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur would have preferred to have taken a couple of break points against Adrian Mannarino in the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships final. But, in the end, the 20-year-old Aussie needed to win only one to claim the ATP 250 title.

De Minaur won his third title of the season and of his career on Sunday, beating the 31-year-old Frenchman 7-6(4), 6-4. De Minaur had lost all 12 of his break points until the final point of the match, when Mannarino netted a backhand. With his third title, De Minaur creates a five-way title for second place on the 2019 tour-level titles leaderboard.

“It was a really tough match. I had a lot of chances and I felt like Adrian just played better than I did in those moments. I just told myself I had to try and take control of the point and just try to dictate as much as I could and I hit a great ball and I'm happy it ended there,” De Minaur said.

2019 Tour-Level Titles Leaderboard

Player

Titles

Rafael Nadal

4

Novak Djokovic

3

Roger Federer

3

Daniil Medvedev

3

Dominic Thiem

3

Alex de Minaur

3

The 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up won his maiden title at the Sydney International, his home event, in January and didn't lose his serve all week to win the BB&T Atlanta Open in July.

He was perfect on serve against Mannarino as well, never facing a break point. And the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals hopeful stayed calm despite seeing break chances come and go. Twice Mannarino came back from 0/40 down on his serve.

“He's one of the toughest guys to play, very tricky, and in that first set I had so many chances and I wasn't able to break him, so I just had to make sure I stayed calm and just kept on backing myself, stay positive and I was able to play some great points to turn the tie-break around and that first set was huge,” De Minaur said.

The title match was a contest of steady baseliners, as Mannarino was content to rally with the more aggressive De Minaur. But the Aussie was more clutch in the big moments, coming through in the first-set tie-break and gaining another 40/0 lead on Mannarino's serve in the final game.

De Minaur, the 2018 ATP Newcomer Of The Year, will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and $160,550 in prize money. De Minaur is projected to rise to No. 25 on Monday when the new ATP Rankings are released.

Mannarino, who fell to 1-7 in finals, will receive 150 ATP Rankings points and $86,810 in prize money. The Frenchman was going for his second title of the season after winning his maiden crown at the Libema Open in June.

“He played great. I don't think that my level dropped during the match, I think that he just kept pushing all the time, being really offensive and, if you just lose your concentration for, I don't know, 30 seconds, one minute, then you lose a crucial game and then it goes quick,” Mannarino said. “He played better than me, that's the only thing I can remember about this match.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... nday-final

[DUN I LOVE]

Dziś niestety nie pykło i rzeźniacki mecz z Harrisem wpadł na konto Afrykanera.

Alex jest 28-16 w tym roku. Trzeba wziąć poprawkę, że pierwsza połowa roku stracona z powodu kontuzji.

[Lucas]

[Lucas]

[arti]

Read & Watch: 5 Things To Know About Milan-Bound De Minaur

Spoiler:

Alex de Minaur is coming back to the Next Gen ATP Finals. De Minaur finished as runner-up last year in Milan. Here are five things to know about the three-time ATP Tour titlist.
1. He is perfect in title matches this season.
De Minaur is a perfect 3-0 in ATP Tour title matches this season. He started the year by winning his home tournament, the Sydney International, and becoming the youngest Sydney champion since 19-year-old countryman Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.
De Minaur also won two more hard-court titles, never facing a break point at the BB&T Atlanta Open and fighting past former World No. 1 Andy Murray en route to the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships crown last month.
De Minaur's unblemished season in finals has come after he had rough luck during the same stage in 2018. The Aussie fell in finals in Sydney, at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., and at last year's Next Gen ATP Finals.
2. He talks with his psychologist every day.
De Minaur was an unknown commodity last year during his breakout season that saw him climb 177 spots, from No. 208 to No. 31 in the ATP Rankings.
This year, however, the 20-year-old has felt pressure to back up his season and continue to climb the ATP Rankings. “I've got a lot more expectations on myself,” he said.
You wouldn't know it, though, judging by his improved results. The Aussie has worked with a Spanish psychologist for the past few years, and this year they've begun talking daily. De Minaur credits their work for his continued progress.
“I feel like the head, the mind is one of the most important things out there. I train my mind as much as I do on the tennis court or as much as I do fitness,” De Minaur said.
“Tennis is such a tough sport as it is, it's only you out there on court, so you've got to deal with a lot of different pressures and expectations and when things aren't going well. So to have someone like [him] to be on my team and be able to clear my mind and make me stronger mentally, I think it's been the biggest change for me. That's the way I've been progressing, thanks to all the work I've done with him.”
3. He learned how to drive in the off-season.
Like most players, De Minaur put in his fair share of fitness and tennis during the off-season ahead of 2019. But he also checked off a bucket list item: He learned how to drive.
“I was fortunate enough to have a week and a half off, and I put all that time and effort into getting any driver's license in Spain. So it was a productive week and a half,” said De Minaur, who trains in Alicante, Spain. “I just had to pass my theory and pass the driving test, and it was all good.”
It's not all open highways for De Minaur, though, who, as of January was still without his Australian driver's license. “Here in Australia it takes a bit longer than in Spain,” he said.
4. He could be near Top 15, Top 10 of ATP Rankings.
De Minaur is at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 24, already seven spots higher than where he ended last season (No. 31). But the 20-year-old could be even higher had he not been injured during the middle of 2019.
A hip injury kept De Minaur out of the Miami Open presented by Itau and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and hindered his level. From the end of February to mid-May, De Minaur endured a five-match losing streak. Now, though, he has a chance to end the season inside the Top 20.
“Can't dwell on the past. It's about keep moving on and on to the next week. So [I'm] very happy with the progress we have made,” he said.
5. He's making a return trip to Milan.
De Minaur won his group and rode into the Next Gen ATP Finals title match a perfect 4-0 before falling to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final 2-4, 4-1, 4-3(3), 4-3(3).
The 21-and-under event has propelled De Minaur, along with some of his 2018 #NextGenATP rivals, including Russian Andrey Rublev, who beat Roger Federer in Cincinnati, and American Taylor Fritz, who won his maiden ATP Tour title at the Nature Valley International in June.
Watch: Learn How To Defend Like De Minaur

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... atp-finals

[arti]

#NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur continued his dominance over Taylor Fritz with a 6-3, 6-3 win and improved to 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The 20-year-old, who also defeated Fritz this July in the Atlanta final, racked up 10 break points and converted four to advance after one hour and 17 minutes. He'll play Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarter-finals after the German defeated Swiss Henri Laaksonen 6-3, 6-4.

“I felt like I played a very complete match. I had a game plan and was able to stick to it. I’ve been working on just trying to keep that high level,” said De Minaur. “This is a tournament I’m really enjoying. Everything is easy and all the people are so nice, so it’s just a joy to play here.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/federer ... -wednesday

[Kamileki]

[Kamileki]

The reigning New York Open champion will face #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, who battled past German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4, 7-6(4), in the last four.

"[Bautista Agut] and De Minaur are two of the guys I always say I don’t want to be anywhere near in the draw," Opelka said.

Each of the three previous times De Minaur won a quarter-final this season (3-3), he went on to win the title. The Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier takes a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead into his semi-final against Opelka, with all three of those matches coming this year.

Like Opelka, Struff based his game off of his serve and powerful baseline game, striking 12 aces and winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points against the Aussie. But De Minaur played splendid defence throughout, putting up a wall that the German was unable to crack often enough. The 20-year-old broke twice in his one-hour, 43-minute victory.

"Whenever you play Reilly, you don’t know what’s going to happen either way. He’s an incredibly tough opponent. He’s one of the toughest opponents out there,” De Minaur said. “It’s going to be another fun match. We’re really good friends, so I’m really looking forward to just being alive [in the draw] another day and coming back tomorrow and being able to play again."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/bautist ... 019-friday

[Kamileki]

ATP Basel SF:

21 Andriej Rubliow 1606
22 Alex de Minaur 1575
23 Benoît Paire 1528

[Kamileki]

[Art]

De Minaur Dials In Under Pressure, Survives Opelka Epic In Basel

Spoiler:

#NextGenATP Aussie star Alex de Minaur reached his fourth ATP Tour final of the year on Saturday, eliminating American Reilly Opelka 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(3) after two hours and 34 minutes to reach the championship match of the Swiss Indoors Basel. The wild card will try to claim his fourth title of the season against nine-time Basel champion Roger Federer or third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“I can’t wait. It’s my first time here in Basel and it’s been a hell of an experience," De Minaur said. "I’ve got my friends with me, so it’s a little bit different and it’s been paying off. I’m really looking forward to coming out tomorrow and having some fun.”

De Minaur now leads the big-serving Opelka 4-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with all four of their matches coming in 2019. The 20-year-old is the first Aussie to reach the Basel final since Mark Philippoussis finished runner-up in 1997. No Australian man has won this tournament since its inception in 1970.

Although Opelka blasted 26 aces to surpass the 1,000-ace milestone this year and pass John Isner for the ATP Tour-lead with 1,014 aces in 2019, De Minaur’s consistency proved too difficult to overcome. The Aussie made zero unforced errors in the second and third sets, putting constant pressure on the American to hit clean winners, which led to errors off of his racquet in crucial moments.

“Probably the most important thing is not to get frustrated. You’ve got to know that he’s going to serve at least 40, 50 aces against you," De Minaur said. "The way I like to look at things is I guess one way and commit to that way and if I guess right, make sure I make the return, don’t waste that opportunity.”

It’s been a strong three months for De Minaur, who earlier in the year struggled with a groin injury. He missed nearly two months after the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, and then lost seven of 10 matches upon his return. But De Minaur has bounced back in a major way, winning titles in Atlanta and Zhuhai before his deep run this week in Basel.

The two-time Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier will try to capture his first ATP 500 title from his second final at this level. Last year, he fell short against Alexander Zverev at the Citi Open.

De Minaur let slip a break in the first set, with Opelka rallying to force a tie-break. But the Aussie was too consistently solid, winning his first two return points of the tie-break to help him earn a 6/1 lead. At 6/2, Opelka blasted an approach shot down the middle to try to jam De Minaur, but the World No. 28 showed incredible reaction speed, finding a way to not only get his racquet on the ball, but to place a lob over the head of 6’11” Opelka.

There were no breaks of serve in the second set, and this time it was Opelka who got off to a strong start in the tie-break. The tall American showed his range with a cross-court backhand passing shot that even a diving De Minaur could not reach. Another mini-break made it seem this semi-final was on its way to a deciding set.

But De Minaur recouped both mini breaks and hit a big serve to recover from 1/4 to 4/4. Opelka quickly regrouped, though, using another critical backhand pass to help push the match to a third set.

“I knew coming in this was the match to expect. In the second set I did everything right, he just came up with two very big points, very big backhand passes on crucial points," De Minaur said. "I knew I just had to say, ’Too good’, and get ready for another third set and hopefully take care of my serve and come the tie-break, guess right a couple times and make a couple of returns.”

In their only previous match that went to a deciding set, earlier this year in Atlanta, De Minaur found his range off the return to earn a break and ride his serve to victory. But this time, Opelka forced the 15th all tie-break match of 2019 — and his fourth of the year. The American was unable to capitalise on looks at the Aussie’s second serve, making mistakes early in the tie-break, and that allowed De Minaur to triumph, blasting a final big serve of the day to force an error, pointing to his camp with a massive smile in celebration.

De Minaur hit 14 aces himself, but he won a higher percentage of service points than Opelka, 80 per cent to 70 per cent.

Did You Know?
De Minaur is now 7-0 in tour-level semi-finals and finals in 2019.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... el-2019-sf

[Kamileki]

ATP Basel F:

17 John Isner 1850
18 Alex de Minaur 1695
19 Félix Auger-Aliassime 1681

[Lucas]

Finał w Basel.

20-letni Australijczyk kontynuuje znakomity sezon. Na kortach w Bazylei osiągnął swój 6. zawodowy finał, gdzie jednak musiał uznać wyższość Rogera Federera. De Minaur ma remisowy bilans finałów ATP: 3-3.

Alex de Minaur - przegrane finały (3):
2019 (1) Basel
2018 (2) Waszyngton, Sydney

[Damian]

28.10.2019

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 18

[Damian]

De Minaur, Teeming With Confidence, Eager For More

Spoiler:

After overcoming injury setback, ambitious Australian intends to build on outstanding year

A beaming Alex de Minaur is brimming with confidence -- and for good reason.

On Tuesday, the #NextGenATP star defeated Laslo Djere 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of the Rolex Paris Masters to set up a second-round showdown against ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut. De Minaur defeated Bautista Agut one month ago in the semi-finals at the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships, their only previous FedEX ATP Head2Head encounter.

“I'm very happy with today's result,” De Minaur told ATPTour.com. “It's been a difficult last few months for me, and not just physically. Mentally as well; things have been very complicated.”

The physical complications the Australian endured were due to a groin injury he sustained at the start of the year. Despite the injury, the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up managed to lift his first ATP Tour title by triumphing at Sydney. The pain grew worse as the season progressed, however, until finally the Australian was forced to reassess matters after a first-round loss to Marcos Giron at Indian Wells.

You May Also Like: Read & Watch: 5 Things To Know About Milan-Bound De Minaur
For over two months, De Minaur's career was placed on hold as he recuperated at his residence in Alicante, Spain. The 20-year-old returned from the sidelines at the Millennium Estoril Open in late April, where he was defeated in the first round. Doubt, as well as the reality of returning to competitive play after suffering an injury, began to set in as De Minaur dropped three of his next four matches before reaching the quarter-finals at the Libema Open in June.

His dip in form eventually resulted in a drop out of the Top 30 in the ATP Rankings. It wasn't until July when De Minaur turned things around by triumphing at the BB&T Atlanta Open by defeating American Taylor Fritz in the final. By regaining his form, De Minaur restored his faith in his potential while proving he has the mental fortitude to overcome obstacles like injury.

“At the very least, I've been through (a comeback) already, so I can say I've done it before," De Minaur said. "It's made me stronger. I've worked with my psychologist to get to where I want to be on my road back. I've had an incredible year, but I'm hungry for more. I want to keep improving. I'm looking forward to finishing the year strongly.”

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Following the victory in Atlanta, De Minaur claimed his third ATP Tour title by downing Adrian Mannarino in the final at Zhuhai. The Aussie followed that performance with an impressive showing at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he reached the final before falling to Roger Federer on Sunday.

As De Minaur sees it, the injury not only made him stronger, it also proved to be a springboard that launched him into the next phase of his career.

“Everything that's happening now is new to me,” De Minaur said. “It was difficult to defend all the points I had earned last season. The injury, the fall in the rankings, dealing with all the pressure... I still managed to win three titles this year. I'm proud of all the work I've done with my team and the progress we've made to get to this point. We've put in a lot of hours and sacrificed so much for moments like these.”

The moments have gotten only sweeter since De Minaur's return from the setback: He's currently ranked a career-high No. 18 in the ATP Rankings, and he's into the second round at the last ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. He's also set to play next week at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, but for now, the young Aussie is taking things one match at a time.

“I'm not focused on anything except today's victory," De Minaur said. “I take everything match-by-match, day-by-day.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... ce-feature

[Razing]

[arti]

Elsewhere, Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who will bid to retain his title at the Next Gen ATP Finals next week in Milan, held his nerve to beat the consistent Roberto Bautista Agut, who sits in ninth position in the 2019 ATP Race To London (2,530 points).

De Minaur moved up one place to 17th (1,775 points) after a 7-6(2), 7-6(1) win over Bautista Agut in two hours and 17 minutes, having recovered from a 3-5 deficit and saved two set points at 4-5 in the second set.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/monfils ... -wednesday

[Kamileki]

[arti]