Alex de Minaur surges to new career-high amid tennis blockbuster with Jannik Sinner

Alex de Minaur set up a mouth-watering clash with Jannik Sinner in the Rotterdam Open final, securing a new career-high ranking of World No.9 in the process. Playing Grigor Dimitrov on his birthday for the second year running, the Aussie exacted revenge on Saturday night after losing the corresponding match last year.

This time it was de Minaur who prevailed after he beat Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 to march into the final. The victory ensures that the Aussie star will rise to World No.9 when the rankings are updated on Monday - a new career high for the 25-year-old.

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In January, de Minaur became the first Australian man since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006 to reach the top 10. He slipped to No.11 after his loss in the fourth round of the Australian Open, but has now broken new ground to rise to ninth in the world.

"I'm extremely happy with the level throughout the whole match," de Minaur said afterwards. "It was probably one of the better matches I've played from start to finish. Even saying that, I always know that Grigor is going to lift his level and compete until the end, and I had to fight off some pretty tough break points, when I came up with some of my best tennis."

De Minaur hit 14 winners and made just four unforced errors in the 84-minute victory. "From the word go here in Rotterdam, I've felt a very calm presence," the Aussie said. "I've felt positive, I've been calm and collected throughout whole matches, and I think that's been a big key for me."

De Minaur's march to the final comes after he was left devastated to lose in the fourth round at the Australian Open. He got revenge over Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals in Rotterdam after the Russian sent him packing in a five-set thriller at Melbourne Park. It marked the fourth time in five attempts that de Minaur has fallen in the fourth round of a grand slam, and the only time he's reached a quarter-final was back in 2020 at the US Open.

Alex de Minaur loses to Jannik Sinner in Rotterdam Open final

Unfortunately for de Minaur he couldn't go on to claim the title, losing 7-5 6-4 to Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner. The Italian now owns a 7-0 record against de Minaur and is 12-0 so far in 2024.

"I am really proud with the level that I played throughout this whole week," Sinner said after the final. "We have been in tough situations but we handled it the right way. We will always try to improve, it is the most important."

De Minaur said of Sinner: "I asked him jokingly if he's going to lose a match this year. He's playing an incredible level and just too good. I'll get you back next time."

Sinner will now rise to World No.3 in the rankings, making him the highest-ranked Italian men's player in tennis history. Fans were sent into a frenzy over the prospect of seeing de Minaur and Sinner in the final - two of the most in-form players on the ATP Tour.

with agencies

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