Alex de Minaur made a winning return to the Mubadala DC Open after overcoming a difficult opening challenge against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday.
The Australian top seed defeated Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the ATP 500 tournament in Washington to begin his title defence and set up a second-round meeting with fellow Australian teenager Cruz Hewitt.
The victory was a significant one for De Minaur, who had struggled against Tsitsipas in their previous meetings. The Greek had won 12 of their last 13 Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes, including their most recent encounter in Miami earlier this year.
Returning to action for the first time since marrying WTA player Katie Boulter, De Minaur admitted he did not have many expectations coming into the tournament but was pleased to find a way through a challenging match.
“It wasn’t pretty tennis, but I did just enough to get over the line and I’m happy with that,” De Minaur said.
Tsitsipas looked strong early on, building a 4-2 lead in the opening set. However, De Minaur responded with four straight games to take control and claim the first set.
The Greek bounced back in the second set by raising his level and forcing a decider. But De Minaur regained momentum in the final set, using his speed, defensive ability and consistency to secure victory after two hours of play.
De Minaur said improving his serve was a key factor in changing the outcome against Tsitsipas, explaining that previous struggles in their rivalry came from giving the Greek too many opportunities on return.
The win continues De Minaur’s strong record at ATP 500 events. According to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, he has collected a Tour-leading 60 victories at the level since the start of the 2023 season, including titles in Acapulco, Washington and Rotterdam.
Currently ranked No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, De Minaur is competing as the top seed at a tour-level event for only the fifth time in his career.
Tsitsipas entered Washington with renewed confidence after ending a 16-month title drought by winning the Gstaad tournament earlier this month. However, despite showing flashes of his best form, the world No. 51 was unable to overcome De Minaur’s consistency as the Australian improved his season record to 28-14.
