On Tuesday at the ATP Montreal Masters, Alex de Minaur dominated the first set and navigated a tense second set to secure a 6-2, 7-6 victory against James Duckworth.
Event Context
Alex de Minaur, the third seed, has maintained an impressive record against Australian opponents, not losing to one in four years. However, he faced a tough challenge from his fellow Aussie, ranked 86th, to uphold that streak.
The match shifted dramatically in the second-set tiebreaker when a fortunate return bounced off the net, giving de Minaur a match point after he had successfully defended against six set points from his rival.
“A little bit of luck went my way in the tiebreaker,” de Minaur reflected. “He had me on the back foot during the second set, but I managed to find a way to sneak through in the tiebreaker.”
Shang advanced to the third round after saving five match points against Rublev, breaking him while he served for the match at 5-3 in the third set and ultimately winning a challenging seven-deuce service game.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, a former world number three, showed signs of a comeback, defeating Martin Damm 6-4, 6-4 in a first-round match that faced rain delays. This victory, which lasted 98 minutes, sets him up for a clash with Brazil’s Joao Fonseca.
The 53rd-ranked Tsitsipas, who recently claimed victory in Gstaad, noted that his recent coaching split with his father, Apostolos, is yielding positive results.
“This is a chapter that should have begun much earlier,” Tsitsipas expressed. “I realize now I was too patient and reluctant to make necessary changes. But life unfolds in its own way, often at the right time, and I embrace that Buddhist perspective.”
Tsitsipas secured the opening set against Damm and rallied from a break down in the second to lead 5-2, although Damm managed to break back before Tsitsipas closed out the match two games later.
Hubert Hurkacz, the 2022 Montreal finalist who is recovering from a knee injury sustained at Wimbledon, triumphed over Marcos Giron with a score of 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
Britain’s Jakob Fearnley, fresh from reaching the final of a hard court Challenger last month, progressed past experienced French player Adrian Mannarino with a scoreline of 7-6, 6-4, despite committing over 30 unforced errors. Fearnley will next face 13th-seeded Czech Jakub Mensik.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who was in the final in Los Cabos over the weekend, faced disappointment as he retired due to an ankle injury, granting Zachary Svajda a 4-6, 6-4, 3-0 victory.
Player Focus
De Minaur, the 2023 runner-up in Canada, reflected, “It was a lot of fighting and competing,” following his recent matches. He recently tied the knot with British WTA player Katie Boulter.
When asked about his positive track record against fellow Australians, de Minaur noted that he isn’t overly focused on it. “We’re doing our best to make Australia proud,” he remarked. “We have strength in numbers.”
In other second-round results, China’s Shang Juncheng made headlines by pulling off a significant upset after returning from injury, defeating 10th seed Andrey Rublev with a scoreline of 7-5, 4-6, 7-6.
Meanwhile, British player Jack Draper was left in tears as his return from injury ended in disappointment with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 loss to France’s Terrance Atmane, who sealed the match with an ace. Draper, who hadn’t competed since Eastbourne in June, received consolation from Atmane at the net.
This setback was particularly frustrating for Draper, who had traveled to the Washington event with new coach Andy Murray only to withdraw due to a flare-up of an existing arm injury.
