There was a sense of inevitability for Alex de Minaur as Jannik Sinner sizzled another breathtaking winner beyond his reach in the final of the Canadian Open. As brilliantly as the Australian had played in Toronto over the past week, when it came to his third decider in the past two months, he again found a rival with a bigger weapon in hand.
Carlos Alcaraz edged him in the Queens final in late June. Stefanos Tsitsipas proved too strong in Mexico last week. And on Monday morning Australian time, Sinner was sensational. While a breakthrough week ended in a 6-4, 6-1 defeat in Toronto, De Minaur was far from despairing. The experience gave him “a taste for it” and he would “be back”.
Despite the defeats, the Australian is tracking towards greater glory for himself while setting a standard for his compatriots that is seeing them also raise their level.
Bidding to end an Australian drought lasting two decades at Masters level, the Sydney-raised right-hander fought grandly against Sinner. But after a highly competitive opening set with five breaks of serve, De Minaur was ultimately overwhelmed by the brilliance of an ascending star he is yet to defeat in five career outings.
The sixth-ranked Sinner is blossoming under the coaching of Australian Darren Cahill, who previously guided Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep to the world’s top ranking.
Although his ranking trajectory is not as acute as Sinner or Alcaraz, De Minaur’s arc is curving in a pleasing direction that suggests the 24-year-old’s best is ahead of him. He is on track to become the first Australian man since Hewitt to reach the prestigious top 10, a breakthrough that could happen over the next month should his current form hold.
The Spain-based De Minaur is now the world No 12, a career high, and has just 315 ranking points (1/8th of his overall tally) to defend for the remainder of the season.
Although he is yet to add a second title this year to the Mexican Open crown he claimed in March, De Minaur’s rise towards the top 10 will be of no surprise to him. Leading into Roland Garros and Wimbledon, he spoke calmly but with conviction, and he firmly believes he can beat, and belongs among, the best.
Converting that belief into reality is the key to him becoming the first Australian man since Hewitt at Wimbledon in 2002 to claim a major title. The results of his recent finals and his appearances at Wimbledon and Roland Garros demonstrate that he is not there yet.
Alzaraz, Tsitsipas and Sinner trumped him in the championship matches without dropping a set. Matteo Berrettini blasted him off Court 18 at Wimbledon. Those results may be enough for some pundits to dismiss him as a plucky player lacking a killer punch.
But those rivals see a man they admire as a worthy competitor clearly becoming a threat as he works assiduously to bridge the gap. Tsitsipas praised his work ethic a week ago when highlighting his progression, while Sinner harked back to their first meeting in an ATP Tour Next Gen final in 2019 when noting how far both of them have come.
In six previous seasons on the tour, De Minaur managed to win just seven of his 37 matches against rivals ranked in the top 10. This year the record stands at six wins from 11 outings. On route to the final in Toronto, De Minaur defeated Cameron Norrie, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and top American Taylor Fritz.
As it stands, the Australian sits 10th in the tour race this year and is within range of competing in the elite eight-men ATP Tour season ending championship.
The ethic Tsitsipas praised is also having an impact on what is a tightly-knit group of Australians with a goal of attaining Davis Cup glory later this year. They share practice courts and lunches at tournaments as regularly as they exchange messages in a WhatsApp group, exhorting each other on to greater heights.
This week it was the turn of Aleks Vukic. A junior peer of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Vukic once spoke of the awe he had for the talent of the Special Ks. Now he is ranked above both of them, having broken into the top 50 for the first time after fine wins over Borna Coric and Sebastian Korda in Canada.
The challenge for the eight Australian men currently ranked inside the top 100 is to translate their tour results into significant runs in grand slams after recent disappointments. The US Open in New York later this month is their next opportunity. And de Minaur, a quarter-finalist at the US Open in 2020, is setting a high standard to follow.
