Alex De Minaur claimed the second ATP title of his career after defeating Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) at the BB&T Atlanta Open finals on Sunday. The 20-year-old also became the youngest ever Atlanta Open champion.
Earlier, Alex De Minaur was sidelined from the ATP Tour for nearly two months due to an injury in his groin after he earned his first title at Sydney in January. Since returning from injury, the Australian no. 1 hadn’t won back-to-back matches in a tournament until the Atlanta Open.
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Alex De Minaur showed some flawless display on serve throughout the week and continued to serve strongly in the finals. The third seed Australian continued his dominance in the battle of the rising stars in Atlanta as he dropped just ten points on his serve in the finals. While Taylor Fritz was broken in the seventh game of the opening set. De Minaur broke again to grab the first set.
Neither player faced a breakpoint in the second set as the set went on till the tiebreaker. De Minaur was in complete control during the tiebreaker. A backhand volley winner sealed the much-needed victory for the Next-Gen Star.
“This one is really special to me. I felt like I really needed this. To start the year with a bang and then be slowed down by injuries… you expect your level to be right there once you come back, but you have to slowly grind your way back,” De Minaur said.
Alex De Minaur did not face a single breakpoint in his course to clinch the title. He becomes only the third player since 1991 to win an ATP title without facing a breakpoint in the entire tournament. Earlier, Tommy Haas achieved this feat in Memphis in 2007 and John Isner did it in Newport in 2017.
Alex De Minaur suggested that the victory will certainly help him to come back to his top-level before entering the US Open. He said, “I’ve been playing great tennis and felt like if I could keep it all together, the good results will come. This is a week that will really help me out.”
“I don’t think I could start the American hard-court season any better than this,” said De Minaur. “I’m happy with where I am and enjoying every day. I can’t wait to get back on the court and keep improving.”
