Match Report
De Minaur survives scare, reaches Antwerp QFs
Auger-Aliassime, Bautista Agut transfer on at ATP 250 hard-court occasion
October 16, 2024
BelgaImage
Alex de Minaur advances to the quarter-finals on the European Open in Antwerp.
By ATP Employees
May Alex de Minaur be set to ignite a late cost to qualify for his maiden look on the Nitto ATP Finals?
The 25-year-old dug deep to outlive a scare Wednesday on the European Open in Antwerp to say a victory upon return to tour-level motion. De Minaur acquired off to a sluggish begin in his first match for the reason that US Open quarter-finals however rallied from a set all the way down to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to e book his spot within the final eight.
“It’s by no means simple getting back from harm, so I’m blissful I used to be in a position to win at the moment,” stated de Minaur, who has been nursing a hip harm that pressured him out of the Asian swing. “It took plenty of struggle and energy, so I’m blissful to get a primary win right here in Antwerp.
“The match is rarely over till the final level, that’s what I all the time inform myself. I’m all the time going to compete till the very finish and it’s helped me win plenty of matches, so I higher preserve doing it.”
De Minaur is presently ninth within the PIF ATP Stay Race To Turin, 425 factors behind eighth-placed Andrey Rublev, who’s in motion Thursday in Stockholm. The Australian, who reached the 2020 ultimate in Antwerp, started to seek out his rhythm within the second set, throughout which he received 83 per cent (10/12) of factors behind his first serve, however finally clicked into gear in a gruelling deciding set, prevailing in two hours, 18 minutes.
The highest seed will subsequent face Hugo Gaston, who edged Mariano Navone in an exhilarating second-round conflict. The Frenchman held his nerve to earn a 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(4) triumph in two hours, 50 minutes.
Earlier, Roberto Bautista Agut produced a steely efficiency towards Tomas Martin Etcheverry to grow to be the oldest quarter-finalist in Antwerp event historical past. The 36-year-old Spaniard claimed a commanding 7-6(2), 6-4 win within the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly.
Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime closed the day by rallying previous Marton Fucsovics 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2. The Canadian usually utilized stress on Fucsovics’ serve and created 13 break probabilities, changing three of them, in line with Infosys ATP Stats. Auger-Aliassime broke for the primary time at 3-3 within the second set and constructed upon his momentum to enhance to 3-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head collection with Fucsovics.
