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Alex de Minaur stuns tennis world in 'unbelievable' Acapulco drama

The Aussie was involved in some wild drama in Mexico.

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·5-min read
Aussie Alex de Minaur (pictured left) defeated No.4 seed Holger Rune in a match that ended at 2.57am local time in brutal conditions. (Images: @TennisTV)
Aussie Alex de Minaur (pictured left) defeated No.4 seed Holger Rune in a match that ended at 2.57am local time in brutal conditions. (Images: @TennisTV)

Alex de Minaur stunned the tennis world on Saturday after defeating No.4 seed Holger Rune to set-up a blockbuster showdown against Tommy Paul after some bizarre drama in Acapulco. De Minaur has been in good form since his brutal loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open and has continued his rise up the rankings after winning a gruelling and physical match against Rune 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

The 24-year-old Sydneysider took his game to the next level in Mexico having dropped just eight games in his three victories before Rune, having defeated Mexican wildcard Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in the opening round and Italian qualifier Jacopo Berrettini in the last 16. The task was more challenging against the 19-year-old Danish superstar as the pair took to the court at nearly midnight in humid conditions.

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However, the condition took its toll on Rune as he suffered from cramp multiple times throughout the match as de Minuar used a similar tactic as he did against Andrey Rublev at the Rotterdam Open and attempted to run the Danish star around the court. The Aussie went on to save seven of the eight break points he faced throughout the match and won the two hour and 48 minute match, which ended at 3am local time.

Fans were overwhelmed with joy for de Minaur as he moved into the biggest final of his career at the ATP 500 event. However, there were plenty of questions asked about the scheduling. In the match before, Fritz was defeated and was seen kneeling over a bucket as he nearly threw up due to conditions on court.

De Minaur conducted interviews after his victory and most likely wouldn't have gone to bed before 5-6am. He posted a video of him in an ice bath 30 minutes after his match.

He took on Paul in the Acapulco final less than 24 hours after his victory, which handed him very little time for recovery. He managed to overcome the difficult scheduling to prevail 3-6 6-4 6-1 to lift the first ATP 500 trophy of his career. But fans were left fuming at the scheduling after such a brutal semi-final contest.

Alex de Minaur thrilled with display at Acapulco

After the semi-final, De Minaur praised his opponent and said the match was as tough as it looked. "It feels great. It feels like I deserved it,” De Minaur said. “I hung in there, I stayed tough.

“It’s not easy because he’s a hell of a player. He was hitting me off the court at times and not letting me really do much. But I managed to save a couple of crucial break points and keep giving myself chances.”

Alex De Minaur waves to the crowd.
Alex De Minaur (pictured) has reached the Mexico Open final in Acapulco. (Photo by Juan Luis Diaz/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) (Quality Sport Images via Getty Images)

Tommy Paul had defeated his compatriot Fritz after the No.3 seed was having physical issues in the brutal conditions. “It’s going to be a great match,” De Minaur said of the in-form Paul. “I’m looking forward to a battle and to just go out there and leave it all out there.

"There’s not much else you can do. Enjoy the moment.” De Minaur will now move to at least World No.19 after Acapulco, which sees him join the top 20 for the first time in a number of years.

with AAP

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