Alex de Minaur has shown extraordinary resilience to bounce back from the depths of misery and book an “incredible†place in the last-four of the ATP Finals in Turin.
The Australian No 1, a picture of despair just a couple of nights earlier after feeling he had thrown away victory during defeat to Lorenzo Musetti, started his unlikely resurrection with a backs-to-the-wall 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win over Taylor Fritz on Thursday, his first ever victory at the season-ending championship.
Then after achieving the two-sets-to-nil triumph – the only way he could stay in the tournament – De Minaur owed a huge vote of thanks to Carlos Alcaraz, who sealed the end-of-season world No 1 ranking by beating home favourite Musetti 6-4 6-1.
“I mean, sport,†De Minaur said, even before the Alcaraz match. “Couple of days ago was one of the toughest days Iâ€ve had in my career. I was in a very, very dark spot.
“I could tell you that I hated the sport. Now here we are two days later, and Iâ€m feeling great about myself. Itâ€s incredible.â€
So, against all odds, De Minaur finished second behind Alcaraz in the Jimmy Connors Group, qualifying for the semi-finals. Heâ€s only the third Australian ever to do so after John Newcombe (1973-74) and Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 and 2002 winner and 2004 finalist.
Such a scenario had looked wholly improbable after world No 7 De Minaur had been left completely dejected, losing after he had served for the match against the weary but inspired home favourite Musetti on Tuesday.
But on Thursday, with a sympathetic crowd right behind him, the 26-year-old Sydneysider showed magnificent resolve to down big-serving world No 6 Fritz.
It didnâ€t come easy. He was locked at 4-4 and down 0-30 on his serve in the opening set, with the big-serving Fritz threatening to win the set which would condemn him to an early exit.
Instead, he rebounded in that game, went on to dominate with a brilliant tie break and then asserted his supremacy in a fairly one-sided second set to finally win an ATP Finals match at the sixth attempt, after having gone winless on his debut in Turin last year and then losing to Alcaraz and Musetti earlier this week.
After triumphing in an hour 34 minutes, De Minaur looked to the heavens and shook his hands in joy before going over to the courtside TV camera and scrawling “Finally†alongside a smiley emoji on the lens.
“Iâ€ve dealt with a fair bit of heartbreak recently,†he said. “It was good to finally get a win here in Turin.
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“It means a lot. I mean, a couple days ago, I was in a pretty dark place, and it was a tough pill to swallow.
“So more than anything, I feel proud of my efforts, not for just coming out and winning, but also just for the mindset. I kind of make peace with it, and I just committed to my game from the first point to the last.
“I was gonna leave everything out there today and I ended up with a really good match from the start ‘til the end. Iâ€ve worked really hard, so it was good to get some positive reward for that hard work.â€
Alcaraz dismissed Musetti in straight sets later on Thursday. Like many involving Alcaraz, the first set was tight until it wasnâ€t, Musetti serving well until, down 4-5, he lost an 11-minute game and with it the set.
It was one-way traffic thereafter, an exhausted Musetti, who played through the Asian swing and lost a marathon final in Athens to Novak Djokovic, just last Sunday, unable to cope as Alcaraz upped his level.
And though he needed three match points to finish off, the outcome was never in doubt. Next for him: Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alexander Zverev.
“I had to handle my nerves the best I could and I was happy the way I did it,†said the Spaniard, who has had an incredible year with eight titles and two grand slam titles in Paris and New York.
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