Alex de Minaur has rocketed back into contention for the ATP Finals after upsetting new World No.1 Alexander Zverev in a stunning career-first. The Aussie tennis star had never beaten Zverev in a singles match on the ATP Tour, but turned the tables on the German two-time major winner after clinching a thrilling 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-4) victory in the Vienna Open semi-finals.
De Minaur recovered superbly after a pair of nervy double faults and stood up when it mattered in an impressive deciding set tiebreaker. And the 27-year-old’s reward for reaching his first ever final in Vienna is a showdown against Spain’s seven-time grand slam champion Carlos Alcaraz in the tournament decider.
“I’m super proud, super stoked of how I handled the moment. I was very calm, even though I threw in a couple of doubles there,” an ecstatic de Minaur said afterwards. “All in all, I played a very aggressive deciding tiebreak. I played on my terms. I was going to go out swinging and playing the right type of tennis, and that’s what made the difference today.”
The win had added significance as it was the first time de Minaur had beaten Zverev in singles, outside of exhibition matches and teams events such as the Laver Cup. And it was even more vital to the Aussie’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals.
De Minaur had dropped outside the top-eight but the win pushes him back into the qualifying places for the season-ending tournament. Next week’s Paris Masters is the last qualifying event in the “Race to Turin” and de Minaur will be heading to the French capital with renewed confidence.
Alex de Minaur (R) will play seven-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz (L) in the Vienna Open final after beating new World No.1 Alexander Zverev (C)in the semi-finals.
Alex de Minaur thrilled after re-igniting ATP Finals hopes
The Aussie says scoring another career-first win in the Vienna final against Alcaraz – who he’s lost to on all six previous occasions – would be even sweeter. Victory over the Spaniard would move de Minaur one step closer to booking his third-straight appearance in Turin.
“It would be a pretty decent week, I would say,” the Aussie remarked. “I’m just happy with the way I’m competing, the way I’m going about my business. Just one foot in front of the other, doing what I can. Ultimately I’m playing some good tennis, looking forward to hopefully finishing strong this season.”
De Minaur’s win came off the back of a fearless attacking display against Zverev, who was incensed with the chair umpire after copping a time violation on serve at 5-6 down in the deciding set. While Alcaraz booked his spot in the final after taking down Daniil Medvedev 6-4 7-6 (7-2) in the earlier semi.
with AAP