De Minaur’s Rotterdam Open quarter-final victory over Rublev was his fourth top-10 scalp this year, including world No.1 Novak Djokovic, Alex Zverev and Taylor Fritz, and 10th since the start of the 2023 season.
That rich vein of form is part of why he described himself as “night and day a different player” after exiting this year’s Australian Open in heartbreaking fashion.
Rublev and de Minaur embrace at the net after their Australian Open clash last month.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Dimitrov saved two match points to defeat de Minaur in the Rotterdam quarter-finals last year, coincidentally on the Sydneysider’s 24th birthday, but he could not trump him this time around.
De Minaur broke the Bulgarian to start both sets and staved off three break points himself, hitting 17 winners while committing only four unforced errors in a brilliant performance.
He can move into fifth spot in the ATP Race, based purely on this year’s results, if he can topple Sinner for the first time. The Race determines which players qualify for the end-of-year ATP finals in Turin, Italy.
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Grand slam champions Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Sinner are entrenched at the top of the men’s tour, but de Minaur’s consistently excellent results across the past 13 months, in particular, have positioned him in the debate to be considered the best of the rest.
Sinner defeated de Minaur in his maiden Masters 1000 final in Toronto last year before routing him in the Davis Cup final in November, but he retains supreme respect for his rival.
“It would mean a lot [to win the Rotterdam title],” the Italian superstar said after ousting Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 6-4.
“This is the second final I have played here – last year I lost in three [sets to Medvedev] – but every final is different and let’s see what comes. I know [de Minaur] quite well, as he knows me, and I guess he’s going to change a couple of things tomorrow, so I have to be prepared and ready.
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“It doesn’t really matter what’s happened in the past. I saw him play today. He played really, really good. I hope I can also play some good tennis tomorrow.”
De Minaur said his positive mentality was a big reason for his success this week, something he said was important in “a long year”.
“You have weeks when it might be a little tougher to be very positive all the time, but from the word go here in Rotterdam, I felt [really good],” he said.
“I’ve been calm and collected throughout all the matches and … this [must be] my standard, right? This is what I have to bring every single time I walk on the court, and that’s how I’ll play my best tennis.
“I’ve made a big step in the right direction, and I’m showing the type of tennis I can play, week in and week out. I think I’ve raised the bar a little bit, and hopefully, there’s plenty more to go.”
The Rotterdam singles final is scheduled for the early hours of Monday morning (AEDT) and will not be played before 1.30am, after the doubles decider.
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Source Agencies
