He is a player who continues to show a maturity beyond his years. Alex De Minaur cruised into his third career Challenger final with a win in the last four in Alicante. The 19 year-old Australian defeated top seed Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-4.
De Minaur broke twice in the first set and once in the second. The right-hander proved dominant on serve, not facing a single break point in the match. He dropped just three points from twenty-two on his first serve.
The Australian’s run to the clay final demonstrates his versatility across different surfaces. Though he is yet to win a Challenger, he has been a finalist on two previous occasions. Both came on different surfaces. He was a runner-up to Steve Darcis on the carpet in Eckental. He also finished second best to Jaume Munar on the hard courts in Segovia.
De Minaur will face a veteran clay expert in Pablo Andujar. The Spaniard defeated the in-form second seed Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in just under two and a half hours. Andujar proved excellent in clutch situations, saving eight break points from ten faced. He broke three times himself to earn the win.
In the other Challenger in Panama City, Juan Ignacio Londero is gunning for his first ever appearance in a Challenger final. To achieve that goal he will have to defeat one of the most decorated players in Challenger history. Carlos Berlocq has won eighteen Challengers from twenty-nine finals,and the Argentinian has won all of those titles on clay.
The bottom half of the draw features Blaz Rola and Andrea Collarini.
