Alex de Minaur in epic feat against 'nemesis' as Katie Boulter achieves career-first
The duo are powering on in their respective tournaments in stunning fashion.
Alex de Minaur has broken his poor run against 'nemesis' Stefanos Tsitsipas having won their quarter-final clash at Acapulco in a huge bid to remain in the top 10 rankings. De Minaur has never defeated Tsitsipas on tour and he didn't get off to a good start.
Tsitsipas raced out to a 6-1 lead in the first set, which left de Minaur searching for answers ahead of the second set. And the 25-year-old came out a different play as he took the game to Tsitsipas and levelled the match. De Minaur continued to play more aggressive tennis and eventually prevailed 1-6 6-3 6-3.
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De Minaur is one match away from defending 500 points of his at Acapulco and remaining in the top 10 heading into Indian Wells. De Minaur has been in stunning form in 2024 having defeated top players such as Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev and now Tsitsipas as he moves to 13-4 this season.
The Aussie will now face Jack Draper in the semi-final. While De Minaur is making his charge in Mexico, his partner Katie Boulter has produced one of her best matches of 2024 as she marched into her first ever WTA 500 quarter-final. In one of the biggest wins of her career, Boulter toppled Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 3-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the San Diego quarter-final.
11TH TIME LUCKY 🤩
Defending champion @alexdeminaur snaps a 10-match losing streak to Stefanos Tsitsipas with a 1-6 6-3 6-3 triumph in Acapulco #AMT2024 pic.twitter.com/BvcPKek65K— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 1, 2024
Boulter will now take on either Donna Vekic or Marina Stakusic in the next round. The British star dropped the first set, but won 12 straight points in the second set to storm back and level the match.
Boulter then managed to win eight points in a row in the third set to close out the match. The 27-year-old's career-best run comes as her partner, World No.9 De Minaur, looks to replicate his best title run at a tournament, after an upset at Los Cabos.
De Minaur is now a break up in the final set after dropping the first 6-1. This would be a major moment for the Aussie against a player who's been a nemesis
— Marc McGowan 🗣✍️👨🏻💻📰 (@ByMarcMcGowan) March 1, 2024
De Minaur previously Sebastian Ofner in the round of 64 at the Mexico Open and credited his "big heart" for his bounce back to form after the setback in Los Cabos. "I’ve got a very big heart, I'll tell you that," De Minaur said in his post-match interview.
"This heart is going to keep me going, no matter what the score is, where I'm at, what stage of my career I am (in). It's what's gotten me to this point so far, and it's what's going to hopefully get me further and further." De Minaur needed his resilient determination in the quarter-final clash having now recorded his first win against Tsitsipas after 11 meetings.
Daria Saville marches on in San Diego
Aussie Daria Saville has also found fomr having advanced to her first WTA 500 quarter-final since 2022. The Aussie saved a match point on her way to her biggest win of the year over Tatjana Maria in the San Diego Open.
Saville entered as a qualifier as she continues to build her ranking after a comeback from an ACL injury. She will now look to build on her huge win, while she plays in great spirits.
"It was a fun match only because I won in the end," said a laughing Saville after a clash that lasted three hours and 14 minutes. "It was a tough battle." The victory marked Saville's fourth top-50 win of the season, with the 29-year-old former world No.20 projected to return to the top 120, up from 148.
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