Alex de Minaur boosts Turin hopes with comeback Vienna win | ATP Tour

Matching Report

De Minaur boosts Turin hopes with comeback win in Vienna

The second seed will face Khachanov in the ATP 500

October 25, 2024

Alex de Minaur kept his Nitto ATP Finals hopes alive by dispatching #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 on Friday, to reach the semi-finals of the Erste Bank Open .

The 25-year-old, currently ranked ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, dug deep and emerged victorious in two hours and 34 minutes.

“Now is a difficult time. Every game is important. Every point is important,” said de Minaur.

“I will do my best. I haven't played enough tennis this year, I've been played for a while. So, more power and more fight to me. So, I will make sure that I do my best every time I leave the court.”

Mensik was the first to switch gears as the opening set went into the break. He used powerful groundstrokes and forced errors from the Australian to claim the first set 7-6 (2). He fired 24 winners in the first set, including nine aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

De Minaur responded by getting a crucial break in the sixth game of the second set and leveled the match by winning the set 6-3. The Australian improved his performance and won with 70 percent (21/30) of the points after his first delivery. All in, the Australian broke Mensik again in the fifth game of the third set and remained in control throughout the match.

Seeking to make his season-ending debut, de Minaur took a 1-0 lead in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series and reached his 25th level semifinal.

Despite the loss, Mensik remains on track to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by the PIF in December. The 19-year-old is third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.

De Minaur will play Karen Khachanov for a place in the final.

Khachanov defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-1, 6-4, extending his winning streak to seven.

The 28-year-old, who won the Almaty Open last week, dispatched the Italian in one hour and 18 minutes to reach his first ATP 500 semi-final in Vienna.

Khachanov gained momentum early on with his aggressive play. He broke Berrettini twice, fired 10 winners, and made two unforced errors in the first set. Berrettini stayed level by holding serve in the second set, including a return to love in his first two service games. But the seven-time tour number proved too strong and needed a single break point in the ninth game to emerge victorious. He was also successful when driving forward, scoring 100% (7/7) of the points in the net.

With the win, Khachanov registered his first victory in the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series, leading Berrettini 4-1.