Alex de Minaur Reaches Semifinals at the Next Gen ATP Finals

Alex de Minaur is on to the next…

The 20-year-old Uruguayan and Spanish-Australian tennis phenom, the top seed at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, has advanced to the semifinals at the tournament after producing his best performance of the week.

Alex de Minaur

de Minaur fired 23 winners to reach the semifinals with a 4-1, 4-0, 4-2 win over Norway’s Casper Ruud in just 61 minutes.

de Minaur clinched his spot in the last four after winning the opening set against Ruud. The Aussie finished 3-0 in Group A, marking the second straight year he’s gone undefeated in round-robin play at the event. 

His victory marked a record-breaking seventh win in Milan, breaking a tie with Andrey Rublev. Meanwhile, Ruud has been eliminated after dropping to 1-2.

“I knew from playing Casper before that he’d dictate any short ball without a purpose,” De Minaur said. “The game plan was to play on my own terms, play aggressively, play different styles of tennis. The goal I had was [to take] any half-chance, go up and back myself at the net. I’m glad it worked out today. I’m looking forward to the semi-finals.”

de Minaur arrived in Milan at a career-high No. 18 in the ATP world rankings. He used the momentum from his runner-up finish at last year’s event to spur a breakout season that includes his first three ATP Tour titles at the Sydney InternationalBB&T Atlanta Open and Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships. He further proved his mettle indoors by reaching the final two weeks ago at the Swiss Indoors Basel, losing to Roger Federer.

He’ll next face USA’s Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals.

Alex de Minaur Defeats Adrian Mannarino to Claim Zhuhai Championships Title

Make that three in a row forAlex de Minaur

The 20-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian tennis player defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the final of the Zhuhai Championships on Sunday to claim his third ATP Tour title of the year.

Alex de Minaur

The seventh-seeded de Minaur converted only one of his 13 break point chances, but it came at the perfect time in the last game of the second set to seal victory.

de Minaur is now three for three in finals appearances this year, including titles at the Atlanta Open in July and Sydney International in January.Mannarino falls to 1-7 in career finals.

Mannarino falls to 1-7 in career finals.

Bruguera & Andre Agassi to Face Off in Rematch of 1996 Atlanta Games Final

Sergi Bruguera is getting a chance at a little Olympic payback…

The 45-year-old Spanish retired professional tennis player will face Andre Agassi in a special exhibition match as part of the Atlanta Open on July 31, providing a rematch of the 1996 Summer Olympics gold medal final in Atlanta.

Sergi Bruguera

The exhibition will be played as Atlanta marks the 20-year anniversary of the Olympic Games.

Agassi, who celebrated his 46th birthday on Friday, is an eight-time Grand Slam singles champion who defeated Bruguera for the 1996 gold medal.

Sergi Bruguera, Andre Agassi & Leander Paes

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Bruguera, a two-time French Open champion, won 14 career titles and reached No. 3 in the world rankings.

As of 2014, he has won the most Grand Slam titles for someone not elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Agassi said the exhibition is a chance “to re-live a special Olympic moment.”