In 2018, Alex de Minaur reached his first ATP Tour final at the Sydney International ranked No. 167 in the ATP Rankings.
One year on, the World No. 29 made a winning return to Ken Rosewall Arena, beating Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-3 in 81 minutes. The 2018 ATP Newcomer of the Year won 79 per cent of first-serve points (30/38) and recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the second set to book his place in the last 16.
.videoWrapper {
position: relative;
padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 */
padding-top: 25px;
height: 0;
}
.videoWrapper iframe {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
}
Sydney-born De Minaur looks set for another stellar season on the ATP Tour after earning his third victory in four tour-level matches this season, following a run to the Brisbane International quarter-finals last week (l. to Tsonga). The 19-year-old Australian ended his 2018 season with a runner-up finish at Next Gen ATP Finals (l. to Tsitsipas) on his debut at the 21-and-under event in Milan.
De Minaur will meet American Reilly Opelka for a place in the quarter-finals. Opelka overpowered Albert Ramos-Vinolas, landing 16 aces and dropping just eight points on serve (41/49) to earn a 6-3, 6-4 win after 63 minutes.
Sydney:
Lucky loser Guido Andreozzi took advantage of his second chance in Sydney, recovering from a set down to beat home favourite Matthew Ebden 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Argentine will meet top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round.
Sam Querrey also advanced to the last 16. The 31-year-old was leading Malek Jaziri 6-1, 4-1 when the Tunisian was forced to retire.
Did You Know?
De Minaur achieved a career-high ATP Ranking on 18 occasions in 2018. The Australian began last year at No. 208 in the ATP Rankings and ended his 2018 campaign at No. 31.
Source: ATP World Tour
Be First to Comment