Alex de Minaur surges back into the top 10 in BIG move ahead of US Open

Australian star Alex de Minaur has bounced back into the top 10 and will play for his 10th career title in Washington D.C. on Monday after continuing his outstanding form in arduous conditions in the American capital.

The 26-year-old moved into the 19th ATP Tour final of his career when outpointing Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who had knocked out former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev a round earlier, 6-4 6-3 in 1hr 44min in a classy display.

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Djokovic sends Aussie De Minaur home | 03:14

De Minaur, who is playing in his first event since falling narrowly short of forcing seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic into a deciding set in a 4th round encounter at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, will play Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final.

The Spanish 12th seed has been in superb form in the US capital, following a late-night triumph over Wimbledon semifinalist Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals with a straight sets victory over another American top 10 talent Ben Shelton in the semi-finals.

It shapes as a tricky encounter for de Minaur, who is seeking his first title this season, with the pair splitting their four outings to date.

The Australian has won both clashes on hard court, most recently in the Canadian Open back in 2023, while the tough Spaniard defeated in him in matches on clay in the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021 and on grass at Queen’s in 2022.

But de Minaur, who reached four straight grand slam quarterfinals culminating in his run to the last eight at Melbourne Park in January, will enter his second final in Washington after a run to the decider in 2018 with confidence given his form throughout the week.

Although he made 33 unforced errors against Moutet, the Aussie was forcing the pace against a rival who is slightly unorthodox and tries to break the rhythm of his rivals. The Australian was particularly effective when approaching the net to Moutet’s backhand.

“It wasn’t pretty tennis, but I knew it was going to be a tricky match without a lot of rhythm,” de Minaur said.

“That’s what he’s able to do to opponents. I had the mentality of doing whatever it took to get into the title match tomorrow.”

Alex De Minaur returns a shot. Scott Taetsch/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP

It shapes as crucial few weeks for the Davis Cup star, who has been extremely consistent this season despite his failure to add to his title tally to date.

Should de Minaur clinch the Washington D.C title, which is a 500-tier event, he will almost certainly guarantee himself a top eight seeding at the US Open beginning in late August.

This is critical as it will shield him from clashes against world No.1 Jannik Sinner, his conqueror in the Australian Open, Djokovic and also reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz prior to the quarterfinals.

A win tomorrow, which would pocket the Australian $640,000, would also see him overtake Shelton to move to 8th position in the ATP Tour Race as he bids to qualify for the elite eight man end-of-season championships for the second year in a row.

Seeking to become the first Australian since Nick Kyrgios in 2022 to win in Washington D.C, de Minaur’s superb fitness has been a factor in what have been sapping conditions over the past week.

“It feels like the humidity is growing every single day,” he said.

“Today, I had a couple of puddles in my shoes, so I had to change (them) mid-set, which is a first, but I guess tomorrow, I’ll just bring an extra pair of shoes. I’ll be ready.”

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