Alex de Minaur has moved one step closer to booking his ticket to the end of year finals in Turin having reached the round of 16 at the Paris Masters, while Katie Boulter could miss out on the United Cup in 2026. De Minaur entered the tournament in Paris knowing a deep run could secure him his place in the ATP Finals for 2025.
De Minaur is currently seventh in the race to Turin and a crucial 7-6 4-6 6-3 win over Gabriel Diallo has helped him keep his place. The Aussie was taken to three-sets having struggled with his unforced errors against the Canadian having made 32.
Alex de Minaur (pictured) has moved one step closer to booking his ticket to the end of year finals in Turin, while Katie Boulter (pictured far right) could miss out on the United Cup in 2026 due to her singles ranking. (Images: Getty Images)
Although he proved to strong for his opponent having taken advantage of Diallo’s second serve to secure the win. De Minaur’s win sees him reach the round of 16 in Paris for the four consecutive year. Such is his consistency on hard courts, de Minaur is one of two players to win more than 41 games on the surface across the last two years. The only other player is Jannik Sinner.
De Minaur’s victory also marked his 54th win in 2025. The 26-year-old Aussie is in front of Lorenzo Musetti in the race to Turin with the duo holding out Felix Auger-Aliassime from the top eight.
De Minaur would be hoping to have another crack at the ATP Finals having bowed out in 2024 without winning a match. The Aussie would be keen for a shot of redemption to prove to fans he can mix it with the top players.
Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner have already locked up their places in the finals, while Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz will also be there. De Minaur plays Karen Khachanov in the next round in Paris. The No.10 seed will be a big challenge for de Minaur, but a win could go a long way in securing him a place in Turin.
Katie Boulter set to miss out on United Cup
Unfortunately for de Minaur and fiancee Boulter, the duo won’t be competing against each other in next year’s United Cup with the British star falling down the rankings in 2025. Boulter has struggled with her game in 2025 and this week the British star left the court in tears after retiring hurt at the Hong Kong Open.
She reached a career high of World No.23 at the end of 2024, but has fallen all the way down to 99th in the current live rankings. The Brit was defending a swathe of rankings points because she was runner-up in Hong Kong in 2025, and her horror season could have major ramifications for the Australian Open.
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But it appears she won’t be taking part in the United Cup singles competition given Emma Raducanu is Great Britain’s highest-ranked women’s player. De Minaur will take part in his fourth United Cup event, while he will be joined by Maya Joint. The 19-year-old has enjoyed a rise up the rankings in 2025, which included titles in Morocco and at the Eastbourne Open.
Raducanu has take over the highest-ranked Great Britain star and is set to feature in the tournament before the Australian Open. This means De Minuar and Boulter are unlikely to be on opposing teams during the even next year. Australia were knocked out in the group stage last year and will be looking to improve on the disappointing performance.
Alex De Minaur (pictured) has reached the round of 16 in Paris.