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'Great to watch': Alex de Minaur masterclass leaves tennis fans in awe

Andrew Reid
·5-min read
Seen here, Alex de Minaur roars with delight after beating Matteo Berrettini in straight sets at the ATP Cup.
Alex de Minaur beat 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in straight sets at the ATP Cup in Sydney. Pic: AAP

Alex de Minaur has kicked off 2022 with an incredible performance at the ATP Cup in Sydney that set up a famous win for Australia in the teams tournament.

The 22-year-old Sydneysider played out of his skin to stun last year's Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in straight sets - 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

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De Minaur's victory sparked a 2-1 comeback win for the Aussies to leave the home side eyeing an unlikely semi-final berth.

The Aussie, ranked No.34 in the world, bounced back from a 2021 season interrupted by COVID-19 in emphatic style, before letting out an emphatic roar to a parochial home crowd.

Drawn in the tournament's strongest group alongside Italy, France and Russia, John Peers and Luke Saville sealed the upset victory with a 6-3 7-5 win over Simone Bolelli and Berrettini in the doubles at Ken Rosewall Arena.

Australia's Max Purcell had been comfortably beaten by classy world No. 10 Jannik Sinner 6-1 6-3 in the opening singles game.

Following his victory in the second rubber, de Minuar could be heard yelling: "This is my f***ing court", clearly delighted with the performance in front of his home fans.

"I want to bring it to these top guys and really own the court, but playing in front of a home crowd is an amazing atmosphere," said a rejuvenated de Minaur, who's dropped to No.34 in the world after reaching a career-high 15 during last year's grass-court season.

"That court gives me amazing memories. It's definitely my favourite court to play on.

"I've had an amazing pre-season and I've been hitting the ball really well and it's great to be able to go out there and perform.

"I'm feeling in the best shape of my life and I'm going to cherish that and carry that onto the court with me and be ready for every challenge that's thrown at me."

Aussies face huge Russia test on Tuesday

Next up on Tuesday, the Australian men's No.1 will tackle US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in a battle against Davis Cup champions Russia.

Victory against Russia would put Australia in the box seat for a finals berth ahead of a clash against France on Thursday.

They expect world No.2 Medvedev to pose a sterner challenge than the one he offered on Sunday, when he was shocked by France's Ugo Humbert in the singles before teaming up with Roman Safiullin to seal a 2-1 victory.

Pictured here, Russia's Daniil Medvedev looks frustrated after suffering a shock defeat in his opening singles rubber at the ATP Cup.
Russia's Daniil Medvedev suffered a shock defeat in his opening singles rubber at the ATP Cup in Sydney. Pic: Getty (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"They did extremely well to get through their match today, especially with Medvedev losing, which not a lot of people would have predicted," said Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt.

"We've got to do the right thing and recover. We'll have a light day tomorrow (Monday) and then give ourselves the best opportunity in a couple of nights time.

"It's going to be at the other arena which will be slightly different, but we'll put our best foot forward but we look forward to these opportunities against the very best sides."

with AAP

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