Alex de Minaur has launched his Wimbledon campaign with a commanding victory over Argentina's Roman Andres Burruchaga, winning 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 6-0 on Tuesday. The Australian No.1 struggled through an hour-long opening set but dominated thereafter, claiming 12 of the final 13 games to seal the match in just over two hours.
Nervy start gives way to dominance
De Minaur, seeded fifth at the All England Club, admitted to early jitters. "A little bit of a nervy start," he said. "Never easy starting an incredible tournament like Wimbledon, but as the match went on, I played better and better." After dropping serve early to trail 3-0, de Minaur fought back to force a tiebreak, which he edged 7-5 with the aid of a net cord and a Burruchaga double fault. From there, he raced through the second and third sets in just 52 minutes.
Path clears for deep run
De Minaur's prospects received a major boost when fourth seed Ben Shelton fell in five sets to Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen, ranked 140th. Shelton had been de Minaur's projected quarter-final opponent. With second seed Alexander Zverev also in his half—Zverev has never advanced past the fourth round at Wimbledon—de Minaur now eyes a potential maiden grand slam final. "I love being here. I really want to do well here," he said. "I love the grass. I love these courts. I am at my most dangerous when I am aggressive."
Other Australian results
De Minaur was the only Australian man to win on day two. Thanasi Kokkinakis squandered a two-sets-to-one lead against 10th seed Alexandre Bublik, losing 4-6 6-3 7-6 (12-10) 6-3 6-4 after a grueling three-hour-39-minute contest. Rinky Hijikata also suffered a painful defeat, leading Dutchman Jesper de Jong by two sets to one before falling 6-4 in the fifth. On the women's side, Kim Birrell defeated Russian qualifier Alina Korneeva 6-3 0-6 6-2 to join Daria Kasatkina in the second round. Talia Gibson, however, lost to 21st seed Marie Bouzkova 6-1 3-6 6-2.
Next up for de Minaur
De Minaur will face French left-hander Adrian Mannarino in the second round. Mannarino, ranked 40th, is a dangerous grass-court player but de Minaur holds a 5-1 career record against the 38-year-old. "Next time, hopefully I can be aggressive from the start," de Minaur said, reflecting on his slow beginning.
