Last year’s Next ATP Finals runner-up Alex De Minaur edged past Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-2 3-4 (5-7) 4-1 4-1 in the second Group A round-robin match of the afternoon at the Allianz Cloud in Milan.
De Minaur has reached his career-high at number 18 after winning three titles during a successful 2019 campaign in which he won three titles in Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuhai and and finished runner-up to Roger Federer in Basel.
The Australian player earned his first break in the third game of the opening set and held on his serve to win the opening set 4-2.
Both players went on serve in the second set setting up a tie-break. Davidovich Fokina got a mini-break at 3-2 in the fifth point with a topspin backhand and earned three set points at 6-3. The Spanish player of Russian origin sealed the second set on his first opportunity when De Minaur sent a forehand long.
Davidovich Fokina started the third set with an early break, but De Minaur broke straight back. The Sydney native player got another break at 2-1, when Davidovich Fokina sent a forehand lob long. De Minaur closed out the third set with a big serve on set point.
De Minaur went up a double break to cruise to a 4-1 win in the fourth set.
“I just had to get in my head that I played a good second set. He just came up with big shots in big moments. I had to move on and remember what I was doing well the whole match. I felt a lot more comfortable as soon as I got the break in the third set”, said De Minaur.
De Minaur is more familiar with the innovative rules of the Next Gen Finals after reaching the final last year.
“Obviously it’s my second time around with these different rules. I knew it was going to be a tough match. Especially with these conditions, anything can happen. The match can turn at any moment. After the second set I had to make sure I regrouped, because I did not play a bad set. He just came up with some big shots in big moments. I was able to do that pretty well, so I am happy I was able to overcome that”,said De Minaur.
De Minaur was asked about his opinion during the post-match press conference which rules he would like to get on tour.
“It’s a tough question, because I know that there is a fine line between tennis as being sort of an athlete’s sport or a spectator’s sport. I know that coaching is great for the spectators, as it gives insights on what the player is thinking and how to solve soulutitions. But me, as an athlete and a player. I don’t actually like it. That’s just me, my opinion. I am sure there is a lot of people who like it and a lot of people who don’t, but this is my opinion of coaching. I think they are doing great things with trying new rules and innovations here in Milan and i twill be a matter of time to see if any of these stick or we come up with new ideas”,reflected De Minaur.
