Alex de Minaur has reached the last 16 of the Rotterdam Open after a gritty win over Arthur Fils in his opening match.
De Minaur, who recently slipped to eighth in the world rankings, entered the ATP 500 event as top seed.
This is his first tournament appearance since that quarter-final run in Melbourne, where he was knocked out by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Much like in Australia, De Minaur has found himself with a difficult draw. But he has managed to navigate one of the early obstacles in Rotterdam.
The Australian closed out a 7-6(7-3), 6-2 win over Fils in just over an hour and a half. He will now face either Aleksandar Vukic or Stan Wawrinka in the next round.
Alex de Minaur surpasses Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in ATP 500 wins
De Minaur has now won 49 matches at the ATP 500 level since the start of 2023, more than any other player on tour.
Alcaraz is closest to him with 44 victories, followed by Sinner and Alexander Zverev with 43 each. Daniil Medvedev rounds out the top five with 42.
Despite trailing in total wins, both Alcaraz and Sinner have claimed six titles at this level during that span.
De Minaur has three to his name, while Zverev and Medvedev have two each.
Alex de Minaur expected a ‘battle’ against Arthur Fils
With neither Alcaraz nor Sinner in the Rotterdam Open draw, De Minaur has a real opportunity to extend his lead in ATP 500 match wins.
And there is still plenty driving him this season. He lost last year’s final to the Spaniard and then fell to Sinner in the 2024 final, so there is no shortage of motivation to go one better this time around.
He got off to a strong start, telling reporters after his win over Fils: “It was never going to be easy.
“I told myself I was ready for a battle, up for the challenge, and excited for it.
“I haven’t had too many easy matches this year and I’m looking at this as a challenge, which I’m enjoying.
“It pushes me to be ready from the first point.”
Medvedev has already been knocked out of the tournament, and given the strength of the field, more big names are likely to follow soon.
If De Minaur does reach the final, he could face Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian is coming off a title run in Montpellier just before arriving in Rotterdam.
The Australian is arguably the player to beat this week. His next goal is securing a 50th ATP 500 victory since 2023.
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