Alex de Minaur has opened his 2021 season in style, claiming the first ATP title on offer for the year and his fourth overall, with success at the Antalya Open in Turkey.
Key points:
- The world number 23 dropped just one set on his way to the title
- He looking forward to returning to Australia for the rescheduled Australian Open
- The title is De Minaur’s fourth on the ATP Tour
The Australian number one was leading Alexander Bublik 2-0 in Wednesday’s final when the Kazakh retired injured just seven minutes into the match.
The 21-year-old world number 23 dropped only one set for the week in a promising build-up to next month’s rescheduled Australian Open in Melbourne.
“I mean, it’s massive. At the start of the year that’s what you need,” de Minaur said after following up his semi-final win over second-seeded world number 16 David Goffin in a somewhat anticlimactic title decider.
“I just think I gave myself the best possible chance to go deep into this tournament and I’m happy how it finished.
“I got four matches — and today — so very happy with my level and I had some quality wins.”
De Minaur missed his home grand slam last year in shattering fashion, an abdominal strain forcing him out of the tournament following a heroic ATP Cup campaign for Australia.
“It was a bittersweet moment last year so hopefully a year later I can come back stronger and hopefully have a great Aussie summer,” he said.
“I’m really looking forward to going back home and playing in front of a home crowd, that’s for sure.”
His stomach injury aside, the COVID-19 pandemic further stalled his progression last year, following a breakout three-title season in 2019.
But the fleet-footed baseliner, now the youngest player in the world’s top 25, came back with a vengeance when the tour resumed.
De Minaur made a career-best charge to the US Open quarter-finals in 2020, upstaging a succession of heavy hitters en route to the last eight, then reached the final in Antwerp to finish ahead of Nick Kyrgios as Australia’s top-ranked player in 2020.
Kyrgios himself barely played any matches once the world was plunged into a pandemic, preferring to stay in Canberra and train.
AAP
