Alex de Minaur stormed from 4-1 down in the final set to seize the DC Open in major positives ahead of the US Open
The Australian No.1, who is now ranked 8th on the ATP live rankings, recovered after dropping the first set against Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, steamrolling him in the second before coming back from 4-1 down in the final set to claim a 6-7, 6-1, 7-6 win.
Playing his first event since being ousted by Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, 26-year-old de Minaur then looked like fading in the final set against the 12th seed.
Hut he rallied, broke his opponent's serve twice, including with Davidovich Fokina serving for the match at 5-3.
Then de Minaur saved three match points while serving at 4-5 to level the final set 5-5 as the match time ticked close to three hours
Davidovich Fokina ramped up his serve to hold, getting to 6-5, then de Minaur level again 6-6 sending the electric contest to a final tie-break for the title.
The Australian was then never headed in the deciding 10 minutes, winning the opening two points of the tie-break and going on with the, winning 7-3 to take the win in just over three hours.
It was de Minaur's 19th ATP Tour final of his career, and the Australian star now has 35 wins this season, hoping to crack the 50 win mark for the first time having won either 46 or 47 matches in each of the past three seasons.
WASHING-TEN � @alexdeminaur makes it double digits in titles! #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/WVmopZYUfw
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 28, 2025
Before the tournament began, de Minaur was adamant he was at his 'peak' and big wins had to start coming.
'I've got the experience now. I've got the knowledge, the physicality side of things. Everything is just there for me to go out and perform,' De Minaur said.
'I can really have a swing these next three or four years and really show that I'm at my peak and break through some barriers.'
Those barriers will next present themselves at Flushing Meadow with a possible run in the new-look US Open doubles with de Minaur's British fiance, Katie Boulter, before his assault on singles.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tennis world loses its mind over Alex de Minaur as Aussie's beautiful act for rival melts hearts
Aussie Alex de Minaur has melted hearts with an incredible act of sportsmanship after pulling off a comeback for the ages to claim the Washington Open title. The 26-year-old secured his 10th ATP Tour title in stunning fashion, saving three championship points on his way to a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. De Minaur, who defeated Corentin Moutet in the semi-final and moved up to eighth in the world with Monday's win, but looked to be in a spot of bother, 5-2 down in the third set. He was able to steady but then found himself staring down the barrel of three championship points late in the set, only to break from 30-0 down at 5-4 and force a tie-break. The Aussie incredibly saved his third match point with an impeccable lob that caught the line, giving the Australian enough time to recover and win the point. He then held his nerve to take out the match in a third set tie breaker. It wasn't the first time the Aussie had to save match points in Washington either, saving four against Andrey Rublev earlier in the tournament. So unsurprisingly, in the moment he clinched the match, the Aussie was overcome with emotion, letting out a primal scream and launching the ball into the crowd. He then shook hands at the net with Davidovich Fokina. But in an incredible act of sportsmanship, the Aussie quickly halted his celebrations after he saw his distraught rival slump onto his chair in tears. You can watch the classy moment in the video below De Minaur rushed over to him, sat next to him and put his arm around him, offering words of encouragement. And to start off his speech to the crowd after being crowned champion, de Minaur heaped praise on his rival. 'I want to start with Alejandro, as I told you and your team, you're way too good not to have one of these,' de Minaur said after the match. 'It's coming for sure. You deserved it today. I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor and player. No one on the tour wants to play you. 'This is not the end. It's only going up for you.' While Davidovich Fokina paid credit to de Minaur, admitting the Australian 'deserved the win'. 'He was fighting every f***ing ball,' he added. But it was the beautiful moment between the pair that saw the tennis world fall in love with de Minaur even more. 'What an incredible player and even more incredible man, such a great sport,' one fan wrote about de Minaur's act of kindness towards his rival. 'Demon is a class act,' another said. While a third commented: 'Not just a great tennis player but a great guy as well'.
7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Tennis champion Naomi Osaka announces surprise split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou weeks before US Open
Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka has announced she has split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year. Osaka hired the long-time coach of her idol Serena Williams shortly after firing Wim Fissette following her second-round exit at last year's US Open. But the signs were ominous when Mouratoglou was absent from the DC Open this week. 'Merci Patrick,' Osaka said. 'It was such a great experience learning from you. Wishing you nothing but the best. 'You are one of the coolest people I've ever met and I'm sure I'll see you around.' She will now head to Toronto this week and then Flushing Meadows for the final grand slam of 2025 with a new-look team. The US Open, an event she has won twice, begins in New York on August 24. Osaka initially hesitated partnering up with Mouratoglou, fearful that Williams had elevated his reputation. 'I think the fact that he was Serena's coach for me made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big,' she said last year. 'Like, this isn't rude because I found out it's not true, but I didn't know if he was a good coach or he coached Serena. 'Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He absolutely is a really good coach. I'm really glad that he's taking this project on as well.' The former world No.1 is currently ranked 51st and has a 21-11 record this season. She hasn't been past the third round at a grand slam tournament since winning the 2021 Australian Open. Osaka later took time out to give birth to her daughter, whose birthday coincided with her defeat at Wimbledon earlier this month. 'Honestly, right now I'm just really upset,' she said after the match. 'I'm just gonna be a negative human being today. I'm so sorry. I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something I'm working on. 'It was my daughter's birthday. I was happy about that this week. Other than that, today, I'm just constantly replaying the match. 'I think if I look back on it, I can be happy with how I played. I started getting a lot more comfortable on grass. 'It's because I actually thought I could play well in general. Not saying I didn't play well, but make a deep run here. I wanted to do better than I did before. Also, I felt like I was trying so hard. I low-key busted a vein in my hand.' 'I feel like, while I still have the opportunity to try to (compete), I want to. 'Even though I get very upset when I lose, but I think that's my competitive nature.' In tears after being eliminated from the French Open in May, having lost to 10th seed Paula Badosa in a nightmare first-round match-up, Osaka was asked to compare that to the Wimbledon defeat. 'I think in Paris ... when I sat here, I was very emotional. Now I don't feel anything,' she said. 'I guess I prefer to feel nothing than everything.' The Wimbledon press conference went viral where it was splashed across social media and various media outlets. But the 27-year-old later fumed about how she was portrayed. 'Bro ... why is it every time I do a press conference after a loss the ESPNs and blogs gotta clip it and put it up,' she said on X (formerly Twitter). 'WTF, why don't they clip my press conferences after I win? Like, why push the narrative that I'm always sad? 'Sure I was disappointed a couple hours ago, now I'm motivated to do better. That's human emotions. The way they clip me I feel like I should be fake happy all the time.'
Sydney Morning Herald
9 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
De Minaur's incredible save on match point
Aussie star Alex de Minaur makes an incredible save on his opponent's match point on his way to winning the Washington Open.
