At just 17 years of age, Alex De Minaur defied nerves and overcame the pressure of making his ATP World Tour qualifying debut, successfully booking his spot in the main draw at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp on Sunday. In front of the home fans, the Sydney native was not rattled, even after dropping the first set against #NextGen star Frances Tiafoe, before rallying for a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 victory in two hours and 19 minutes. It was the latest of a slew of impressive victories for the rising talent, having won three straight meetings with players ranked inside the Top 150 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. He opened his qualifying campaign in Brisbane with a straight-set win over...
After an outstanding junior career, Alex De Minaur is now taking his first steps towards recreating that same success in the pros. The 17-year-old from Australia came through qualifying at this week’s $50,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Eckental, Germany, then won his first round over Frenchman Kenny De Schepper. With the victory, he became just the third player born in 1999 to win a main draw match at a Challenger. On Wednesday, De Minaur backed up that win by moving into the quarter-finals over Federico Gaio of Italy. The Aussie has also yet to drop a set after five matches in Eckental. “It’s been an unbelievable experience. It's my first time playing on carpet and I obviously really enjoy...