Acapulco (Mexico) : Alex de Minaur has rallied from one set down to claim his first ATP 500 title, capping a brilliant run with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory against American Tommy Paul in the Mexican Open final, here.
The eighth-seeded Australian produced his best under pressure, saving six of the eight break points he faced in Saturday’s two-hour and 27-minute championship match. His effort against Paul earned him the seventh and biggest title of his career.
This was De Minaur’s second three-set battle in as many days, having navigated past world No.10 Holger Rune in Friday’s semifinals. “It feels great, it feels amazing. I know the hard work that’s put in to be here and it’s good to see the results.
It’s not always that you win the tournament and you get to finish a week unbeaten, so I’ll definitely cherish this going into Indian Wells and Miami,” De Minaur was quoted as saying by ATP Tour.
With a win, De Minaur joined Nick Kyrgios (a four-time champion in Acapulco) as the only two Australian players to win an ATP 500-level singles title in the past 15 years.
The performance in Acapulco also propelled De Minaur back inside the world’s top 20 (at a projected world No.18). On the other hand, just over a month since his run to the Australian Open semifinals, Paul is also set to return to the Top-20.
The 24-year-old De Minuar will next be seen in action at the ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells, which begins on Wednesday.