Alex de Minaur has made a bright start to his North American hard-court campaign, amid a golden opportunity for the Aussie tennis star to climb the rankings before the US Open. The World No.13 was too good for Yunchaokete Bu at the Citi Open in Washington on Wednesday, winning 7-6 (5) 6-2.
The Aussie made a somewhat slow start and was pushed to a tiebreaker in the first set, but showed his class in the second by running away with it. The win was de Minaur’s first since Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.
He’ll now play Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka in the Round of 16, with a golden opportunity to rise in the ATP rankings. De Minaur doesn’t have any points to defend heading into the US Open because he didn’t play any of the lead-up events last year.
Jannik Sinner has re-hired Umberto Ferrara (L), while Alex de Minaur (R) has made a bright start to his hard-court campaign. Image: AAP
The Aussie was sidelined by a hip injury he sustained at Wimbledon in 2024, meaning he didn’t play between the grass and hard-court grand slams. That means he doesn’t have any rankings points to defend this year, and any wins he records will see him rise in the standings.
With Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper all withdrawing from next week’s Masters 1000 event in Toronto, de Minaur has a chance to gain ground on his rivals. With a deep run in Washington and Toronto, he can surge back into the top-10 and potentially get himself an all-important top-eight seeding for the US Open. That would ensure he doesn’t face anyone higher than him in the rankings until the quarter-finals.
“It was somewhat difficult at the start of the year and mentally taxing knowing that I had zeros on my ranking because I missed three Masters [also Shanghai],” De Minaur said before the match on Wednesday. “I knew it would be important to put myself in a good position for the back end of the year when I have little to defend, giving hope that I could gain some serious points and momentum and build on the ranking. So going into the tail end of the year, I’m excited for the opportunity and hoping I can play good tennis and take care of my chances.”
Alex de Minaur in action against Bu Yunchaokete at the Citi Open in Washington. (Photo by Nick Piacente/Sipa USA)
Jannik Sinner re-appoints trainer Umberto Ferrara
Meanwhile, World No.1 Sinner has stunned the tennis world after announcing he’s reunited with former fitness coach Umberto Ferrara. Sinner parted ways with Ferrara and physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi last year after twice testing positive for banned substance clostebol in March 2024.
The banned substance entered Sinner’s system after Naldi applied an over-the-counter spray to a cut on his own hand before giving the World No.1 a massage without gloves on. Ferrara had given the spray to Naldi, and they both paid the price when Sinner opted to part ways with them.
Jannik Sinner with his team after the Australian Open in 2024 – coaches Darren Cahill (far right) and Simone Vagnozzi (second from right), former physio Giacomo Naldi (far left) and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara (middle). Image: AAP
But Sinner’s team announced on Wednesday that Ferrara is returning with immediate effect. “The decision has been made in alignment with Jannik’s management team as part of ongoing preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the Cincinnati Open and US Open,” a statement from Sinner’s team said. “Umberto has played an important role in Jannik’s development to date, and his return reflects a renewed focus on continuity and performance at the highest level.”
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Sinner had explained his decision to part ways with Ferrara and Naldi at the US Open last year. “Now, because of these mistakes, I’m not feeling that confident to continue with them,” he said. “I was struggling a lot in the last months. I was waiting for the result. The only thing I need right now is some clean air.”
Tennis world reacts to Jannik Sinner announcement
In February, Sinner cut a deal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to take a three-month ban, which many thought was very light punishment despite the fact he ingested the banned substance inadvertently. He returned right in time for the French Open, finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz before turning the tables on the World No.2 in the Wimbledon final.
The optics of bringing Ferrara back onto his team have raised eyebrows around the tennis world. Aussie great Paul McNamee wrote on social media: “Jannik Sinner rehiring Umberta Ferrara has to be up there as one of the most astonishing PR moves in tennis history. You can afford to hire anyone in the world. Why oh why Jannik?”
If he stands by his belief that it was an honest mistake like they’ve claimed from the beginning, why wouldn’t he want to rehire him? Refusing to rehire him because a few idiots on twitter will cry would be silly. Willingness to rehire him more likely confirms there was no…
— Mike Gerasimo (@SIGerasimo) July 23, 2025
He got the same doc back 😂😂😂 we have been played ladies and gentlemen 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) July 23, 2025
This is really crazy. I don’t get how even the most moderate and forgiving critics of the Sinner Saga (like me) can possibly look at this news and not think something is off.
Didn’t Sinner accept a 3-month BAN from playing tennis because his team, which included Ferrara, made a… https://t.co/Xq9aeot1X9
— Chris Nolen (@LoveAsInZero) July 23, 2025
with agencies