Matching Report
De Minaur survives shock, reaches Antwerp QFs
Gaston, Bautista Agut advance to ATP 250 hard court event
October 16, 2024
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Alex de Minaur advances to the quarter-finals at the European Open in Antwerp.
By ATP staff
Can Alex de Minaur spark a late charge to qualify for his first Nitto ATP Finals appearance?
The 25-year-old held on deep to survive Wednesday’s European Open in Antwerp as he seeks victory on his return to tour level. De Minaur got off to a slow start in his first match since the US Open quarterfinals but bounced back to beat Roberto Carballes Baena 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to book a place in the last eight.
“It’s never easy to come back from an injury, so I’m happy that I was able to win today,” said de Minaur, who suffered a hip injury that forced him out of the Asian race. “It took a lot of fighting and effort, so I’m happy to get the first win here in Antwerp.
“The game doesn’t end until the last point, that’s what I always tell myself. I will always compete until the end and it has helped me win a lot of games, so I better keep doing it.”
De Minaur is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 425 points behind eighth-placed Andrey Rublev, who plays on Thursday in Stockholm. The Australian, who reached the 2020 final in Antwerp, began to find his rhythm in the second set, where he won 83 percent (10/12) of the points after his first serve, but finally clicked into gear in a difficult deciding set. , won in two hours, 18 minutes.
Next up is Hugo Gaston, who defeated Mariano Navone in a thrilling second round contest. The Frenchman held his nerve to claim a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4) victory in two hours, 50 minutes.
Earlier, Roberto Bautista Agut produced a strong match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry to become the oldest quarter-finalist in the history of the Antwerp tournament. The 36-year-old Spaniard won 7-6(2), 6-4 in the first meeting of the Lexus ATP Head2Head teams.
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