Alex de Minaur continued his title defence at the Washington Open with a roller-coaster triumph over long-time nemesis Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The world No.6 battled to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Tsitsipas after spending just over two hours on court. It is sweet revenge for de Minaur, who lost to the Greek in his previous Tour-level match on a hardcourt at the Miami Open in March. He has now won 60 matches at ATP 500 events since the start of 2023, which is more than any other player during this period.
“My head-to-head isn’t the greatest against him. He’s gotten the better of me many, many times,” de Minaur told The Tennis Channel.
“I’m happy with how it went. Didn’t have a lot of expectations going in. I kind of played the match on its own merits and ultimately found a way in a tricky match.”
Tsitsipas has historically been a thorn in the side of the Australian, who has only won two of their 14 meetings since 2018. Currently, there is a 45-place gap in the rankings between the two, but Tsitsipas has recently found form by winning the Swiss Open.
“We’ve played a lot early in our careers and I probably wasn’t the player that I am today,” de Minaur said of their rivalry.
“But still he’s a hell of a player and he’s got a game style that hurts me a lot whenever I play him. I struggle to get it out of his strike zone. Especially up high to his backhand right, which is where he probably has a little bit of a weakness and in previous times he kind of holds on to that forehand and just spreads me and kind of almost bullies me off the court.
“So I tried to change it up a little bit. Here (at the Washington Open) it’s nice and bouncy. So I was able to get the ball bouncing a couple times into his backhand and I think that was a key aspect.”
Next up for the 27-year-old will be a showdown against rising star Cruz Hewitt, son of former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt. The youngster recently reached the Wimbledon junior final, losing to Jordan Lee. In the first round of Washington, Hewitt won his first match on the ATP Tour.
“My first memory (of Hewitt) must be about 10 years ago when he was 7 years old,” de Minaur recounts.
“I’ve seen him grow up. It’s been an amazing journey to see him from when the racket was bigger than he was to where he is now, basically a man playing some big boy tennis.
“It’s great to see what he’s been doing. I’ve hit plenty of times with him, and then I’m very much looking forward to that match up.”
De Minaur is looking to defend a title for the second time in his career on the ATP Tour. The first time he did so was at the Mexican Open, which he won in 2023 and 2024.
