Alex de Minaur arrived at the Cincinnati Open looking to bounce back from his disappointing third-round exit at the Canadian Open. The Australian faced a tough test in his opening match at the ATP Masters 1000 event, causing his frustration to boil over into an angry outburst.
Alex de Minaur Opens Up After Tense Cincinnati Open Battle
De Minaur has made a difficult start to his North American hardcourt swing. He failed to defend his title at the Mubadala DC Open before suffering a crushing loss to Cameron Norrie in the third round of the Canadian Open, during which he squandered a match point with a double fault.
At the Cincinnati Open, the Australian kicked off his campaign against qualifier Quentin Halys after receiving a first-round bye. Halys dominated the opening set to take an early lead, but De Minaur responded strongly in the second set and forced a decider.
During the closely contested third set, De Minaur had the opportunity to secure a crucial lead. However, he failed to convert four break points at 4-4, triggering a frustrated reaction as the world No. 8 smashed his racket and left it destroyed.
Despite the outburst, De Minaur managed to regroup and went on to secure a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) victory to advance to the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Appearing on the Tennis Channel after his hard-fought win, the Australian opened up about his efforts to revive his passion and intensity on the court after lacking that energy in his recent tournaments.
“I feel like the last couple weeks I haven’t brought out that intensity and and passion and being as vocal as that I could have been or I have been in the past. So, one of the big things for me was to try and bring that passion, bring that energy, be vocal about it, bring as much positivity as I can,” De Minaur said.
De Minaur also welcomed the tough battle, saying it served as a reminder of the importance of continuing to fight back against adversity.
“And that’s definitely going to always help you get closer to where you want to be. And when moments get tough, easier said than done, you got to remind yourself of that. And sometimes matches like these help out a lot because it shows you the way. It shows you that good thing happens if you keep fighting and keep digging,” he added.
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No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur is set to square off against No. 32 seed Arthur Fery in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. If he emerges victorious, the Australian will face the winner of the match between Jiří Lehečka and Arthur Fils in the fourth round.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.