Alex de Minaur claimed his first match win in over a month after recording an opening-round triumph against Francisco Cerundolo 3-6 6-4 6-3 at the Hamburg Open.
The first round of the ATP 500 event for De Minaur could only be described as a tough assignment for the No.1 Aussie, who faced claycourt powerhouse Cerundolo.
The Argentine is a dangerous weapon on clay, with three out of his four career titles all won on the surface. Cerundolo also arrived in Hamburg in strong form, having claimed the Buenos Aires title earlier this season and built a reputation as one of the Tour’s most consistent claycourt performers.
Despite the threat this posed to De Minaur, the No.3 seed set his focus on the lessons gained from recent defeats in Madrid and Rome.
“It was a great performance today, staying in the points mentally,” said De Minaur.
“There were a couple points where I just stuck in and made the extra ball. I cut the unnecessary unforced errors, and it’s an important step in the right direction.”
READ: Aussie watch: Gibson, De Minaur in final European clay hit-outs before Roland Garros
De Minaur hadn’t won a match since the opening round in Barcelona. Following his first-round exits at Madrid and Rome, the set-down start in Hamburg was enough to light a fire under the 27-year-old, who turned the match around with his trademark resilience and speed.
With a roar of celebration, De Minaur converted his first match point to secure the victory after 129 well-fought minutes.
“I’ve missed that feeling, that’s for sure – being able to celebrate after a tough win,” he said.
De Minaur will face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a place in the quarterfinals.
De Minaur currently leads 3-2 in the pair’s ATP head-to-head, with their most recent battle fought in July 2025 during the final round of the ATP 500 event in Washington, where the Australian saved championship points to come away with the title.
Over on the WTA Tour, Daria Kasatkina has advanced to the second round of the main draw in Strasbourg following a 7-5 6-3 win over No.6 seed and 2025 finalist Liudmila Samsonova.
“It was a very tough match, not just mentally but [technically] as well,” said Kasatkina. “She’s got really good shots. I had to be there all the time and try not to lose focus even [by] one per cent, because even that could change the game.
“I’m really happy with the way I played today the way I managed tough moments – because there were plenty of those moments during this match.”
The victory marked Kasatkina's first tour-level win since Dubai in February, and first top-20 victory since Roland Garros 2025.
“I’m doing everything I can to get back to the level that I want to be [at],” she said.
“I think this match today and my previous two matches before today were a good test for that.”
Elsewhere, Alexei Popyrin is set to play his opening match at the Geneva Open against Frenchman Clement Tabur in their first-time clash. Meanwhile, Ajla Tomljanovic’s opening round battle against Burundi’s Sada Nahimana awaits in Rabat.
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