Alex de Minaur was made to wait two and a half hours for the rain to stop to get on the tennis court against three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka.
But when action got underway at the Monte Carlo Masters, the Aussie was at his scintillating best, needing just 63 minutes to sweep aside the Swiss veteran 6-3 6-0 to reach the last 32.
The Australian No.1 chalked up his 20th win of 2024 in devastating fashion as he looks to reach the last 16 in Monaco for the first time.
He will meet Tallon Griekspor in the last 32 and if he can score a win over the Dutchman, he will face either defending champion Andrey Rublev or Aussie compatriot Alexei Popyrin in the last 16.
“My attitude (was important),” de Minaur said. “(I didn’t play) my best tennis to come out with on the first match on the clay. So I stayed tough, stayed solid, I played tough when I needed to and I found my way into the match and started playing better and better.”
In an incredible stat, de Minaur has now won more sets 6-0 in 2024 than any other ATP player. His 63-minute win has also seen him announce himself as a threat on clay, a vast improvement on a surface he has long struggled on, with a career record on the clay of just 55 wins and 46 losses. [au.sports.yahoo.com.]
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