Alex de Minaur may have just played the best match of his career, having just outlasted Alexander Zverev in a dramatic three-set semi-final.
He will now face Carlos Alcaraz in tomorrow’s Vienna Open final.
The Aussie was rock-solid to start this encounter, and it took just the sole break in the first set to secure his lead.
However, when Alexander Zverev came out flying in the second, he could not live with the pressure and surrendered it quickly, by a 6-1 margin.
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The match was finely poised, and it was only right that it be decided by a third-set match tiebreak, which Alex de Minaur won.
Speaking on court, he was close to speechless when asked to sum up his emotions. In the end, he did manage to conjure the following up.
Alex de Minaur explains exactly how he beat Alexander Zverev
De Minaur began with an assessment of his emotions throughout this rollercoaster match.
He claimed: “Look, I’m super proud, super stoked of how I handled the situation, how I handled the moment. I was very calm, even though I threw in a couple of doubles there, which I would have loved to have back, but I thought all in all, I played a very aggressive tiebreaker.
“I played on my terms, and I was going to go out swinging and playing the right type of tennis, and that’s what I think made the difference today.”
As touched upon earlier, the match fluctuated massively, but was decided by De Minaur’s bravery in the third set.
Asked about whether it was his serve which let him down in that second set, he admitted: “Yeah, 100%.
“I think it was obviously a combination. You know, Sascha also lifted his level from the ground immensely, and I struggled to make first serves. So it made my life even harder, and then it was an accumulation of both, right?
“I did well to reset in my third set and kind of just get my way again, start serving well, and I thought, again, for the first set and the third set, I thought I served really well, and that’s been a key improvement on my game.”
He finished by responding to the question of how would it feel to lift this trophy, given the strength of the field.
“Yeah, it would be a pretty decent week, I would say,” he laughed.
De Minaur continued: “No, all in all, I’m just happy with what I’m doing, the way I’m competing, the way I’m going about my business. Just one foot in front of the other, doing what I can, and ultimately, I’m playing some good tennis, so I’m looking forward to hopefully finishing strong what’s left of the season.”
De Minaur had already been given a big ATP Finals boost earlier this week, but his own performances have now put him in a really strong position to qualify, with just the ATP Finals left to play.
Alex de Minaur’s impossible task in the Vienna Open final vs Carlos Alcaraz
Things get no easier for the 27-year-old, who now has to face Alcaraz if he is to claim the Vienna Open title.
Worryingly for him, history is certainly not on his side.
| Year | Winner | Event | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Carlos Alcaraz | Australian Open | Quarterfinal |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Barcelona | Quarterfinal |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Rotterdam | Final |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | London / Queen’s Club | Final |
| 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | Barcelona | Semifinal |
De Minaur has faced the former world number one on six occasions and lost every single time, including in two finals.
Perhaps even more worrying is the fact that he has won just two sets across these encounters as well.
He will be fresh from his first-ever win over a world number one, and that has to count for something.
However, it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to inspire De Minaur to complete this impossible task against Alcaraz in the final.
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