With the 2021 ATP Rotterdam Open underway, Alex De Minaur has defeated John Millman in straight sets in the first round of the tournament. Minaur won a whopping 86% points of his first serve and dropped just five games en route to the victory.

Despite it mostly being a one-sided match, the highlight turned out to be a ridiculous 44-shot rally played by both players. As Milliman served at 30-15, 3-4 in the second set, the two baseline sluggers displayed exquisite shot-making from the back of the court.

Alex De Minaur leaves Millman in disbelief

During the first half of the epic exchange, both players matched each other’s intensity from the baseline. However, as the rally progressed, Millman started to dictate the point as he forced Minaur into deep corners of the court.

But Minaur exhibited rock-solid defense and retrieved every shot by hitting slice backhands and forehands to stay alive in the rally.

As Minaur hit a short return, Millman quickly raced ahead and smacked a wide-angled forehand into his opponent’s deuce-court. The World No. 39 would have certainly thought his shot would have sealed the point, but Minaur completely surprised him.

The 22-year-old Minaur reached the ball in the deep corner and hit a slice forehand while lunging towards the ball which sailed just above the net and kissed the baseline. The miraculous winner by Minaur made Millman drop his racquet in disbelief as the latter was shell-shocked.

The commentators were in awe of Minaur’s incredible winner from the deep-end and complimented both the players on their unbelievable marathon rally.

With the victory, Minaur advances to the second round of the ATP 500 event. He will face Japanese Kei Nishikori in the next round, with Minaur leading 1-0 in their head-to-head meetings.