‘It wasn’t pretty,’ but de Minaur seals top-10 return and a place in Washington final

3 months ago 27

Alex de Minaur sent a signal to junk-balling Frenchman Corentin Moutet – deliberately or not – before even hitting a ball in their Washington semi-final.

The Australian, known for his relentless court coverage, walked out on Sunday (AEST) carrying two extra pairs of blue Asics shoes in a none-too-subtle message that he was ready to rumble in oppressive conditions in the United States capital.

Alex de Minaur celebrates winning through to the final in Washington.

De Minaur overcame an error-filled start, particularly on his usually sturdy backhand, to march past Moutet 6-4, 6-3 to make the Washington final for the second time and ensure he will return to the top 10 on Monday.

He finished with an undesirable ratio of 20 winners against 33 unforced errors, but improved significantly in the second set and was outstanding at the net, where he won 17 of 22 points with some spectacular volleying.

It was de Minaur’s tour-leading 21st hardcourt victory this year as he bids to become the first Australian winner at the ATP 500 tournament since Nick Kyrgios triumphed in 2019 and 2022. He will also try to capture his 10th ATP Tour title and extend his streak of winning at least one to a fifth straight year.

“It wasn’t pretty tennis, by any means,” de Minaur said.

“I knew it was going to be a battle, and a tricky match with not a lot of rhythm, because that’s just what he’s able to do to opponents. I just had the mentality to do whatever it took today to give myself a title match tomorrow.

“It feels like the humidity is growing every single day. Today, I had a couple of puddles in my shoes, so I had to change [them] mid-set, which is a first, but I guess tomorrow, I’ll just bring an extra pair of shoes – and I’ll be ready.”

After going up a set despite committing 21 unforced errors, de Minaur reeled off the opening 14 points and 17 of the first 18 in the second set – including two breaks – to transform a once-competitive contest into a rout.

Moutet even mockingly raised his arms in triumph after a de Minaur forehand cleared the baseline to deliver him his first service point of the set in the fifth game, but briefly managed to make things interesting again.

The Aussie double-faulted on break point as Moutet pulled his 4-0 lead back to 4-2, then dropped serve again when de Minaur tried to serve out the match two games later, but a fourth break for the set terminated the Frenchman’s comeback hopes.

De Minaur last reached the Washington final seven years ago, losing in straight sets to Germany’s Alexander Zverev.

This time, he awaits the winner between rocket-serving American star Ben Shelton and his childhood Spanish rival Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Moutet – full-time tour pest and occasional rapper who courts constant controversy, including being booted out of his own country’s federation for bad behaviour and being booed by fans in Madrid this year – became increasingly frustrated as the match slipped away.

The diminutive left-hander copped a code violation at the end of the first set for snapping his racquet over his right leg, after angrily bouncing it into the court in reaction to going a set down.

It was the end of a remarkable run from Moutet, who lost in final-round qualifying but received a second chance at the title as a lucky loser when Holger Rune withdrew. He will make his top-50 debut next week as a result.

But the stakes are far higher for de Minaur, who is currently one spot out of the automatic qualifying places for the end-of-year tour finals.

The 26-year-old has the chance to challenge his career-high ranking of No.6 if he can produce a strong finish to the season, given he missed significant time at the end of last year recovering from a torn muscle high on his hip and has relatively few points to defend.

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