Zhuhai Open 2019 champion and eighth-seeded Alex De Minaur knocks out of the Rakuten Japan Open 2019 as Lloyd Harris ousts him in a thrilling three-setter 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 in the first round in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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With this victory, Harris leaves the bottom half of the draw open as Alex De Minaur was the last seeded player left in the second half.
Set One
The two players held their opening service game quite comfortably. In the third game, Alex De Minaur missed a breakpoint opportunity on Lloyd Harris’s serve. On the other hand, Harris took full advantage of his first breakpoint chance as he broke the Australian to get a lead of 3-1.
The set did not see a single breakpoint after the 4th game as both the players strongly held their serve. The break of De Minaur’s helped the South African to clinch the first set 6-3 in 39 minutes.
Zhuhai champ Alex De Minaur down a set to Chengdu semifinalist Lloyd Harris in Tokyo R1.
Demon is the *only* seed left in the bottom half of the draw…
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 2, 2019
Set two
Lloyd Harris further increased his level in the second set as he troubled De Minaur in his opening service game, earning a breakpoint opportunity but saved it to hold a crucial game. The two players then held their service games till 6-6, forcing the set to go through the tiebreaker.
Lloyd Harris was in full control in the second set tiebreaker as he won three consecutive points and two mini-breaks to get a lead of 5-3. However, the South African lost two points on his serve to give a set point to De Minaur. Harris then went on to save the set point before losing the tiebreaker 6-8, forcing the match to the decider.
De Minaur comes back from 3-5 in the 2nd set tiebreak to force a 3rd vs Harris. Surviving.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 2, 2019
Set three
The two players held their serves strongly without facing a single breakpoint till 5-5. De Minaur then squandered a breakpoint opportunity in the next game. The deciding set forced to go through the second tiebreaker of the match.
Lloyd Harris managed to control the final set tiebreaker as he saved two match points to win the tiebreaker 10-8 and wrapped up the match after nearly 3 hours of tennis.
Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships – 1st Round: Lloyd Harris beat Alex De Minaur 6-3, 6-7, 7-6
— Live Tennis Results (@live_tennis) October 2, 2019
He will face the winner between John Millman in the second round of Tokyo Open 2019. Earlier, Millman defeated Adrian Mannarino in the first round on Wednesday.
