De Minaur collects another big scalp
Teen cleans up Verdasco
TENNIS: Australian teen sensation Alex De Minaur has continued his giantkilling run, toppling former world No.8 Fernando Verdasco in the first round of the Sydney International.
The 18-year-old showed off his fighting qualities to beat the Spanish veteran 6-4 6-2 yesterday, just a week after downing current world No.3 Milos Raonic to reach the semi-finals in Brisbane.
“I just feel like I’m riding this wave,” De Minaur said.
“I’m playing some great tennis and I really don’t want it to stop.”
De Minaur will meet seventh seed and world No.30 Damir Dzumhur in the second round.
“It’s going to be a very tough match but I’m looking forward to it,” De Minaur said.
“I’m looking forward to the battle.”
Just like his gallant run last week, the world No.167 De Minaur made a mockery of the gulf in rankings by embracing the challenge of Verdasco’s cannon-like forehands.
The Sydney local got the home crowd going early when he broke Verdasco in the third game of the match, before keeping his cool to win the set.
De Minaur refused to let up in the second, twice making inroads into Verdasco’s serve.
Earlier, Samantha Stosur rebounded from her first-round exit at last week’s Brisbane International with a gritty 4-6 7-5 6-3 win over rising German Carina Witthoeft.
The victory will serve as a much-needed confidence boost for the Australian Open, starting in Melbourne on Monday.
Stosur next faces the winner of last night’s all-Australian clash between Daria Gavrilova and Olivia Rogowska for a place in the quarter-finals.
The host nation is guaranteed two quarter-finalists, with the winner of the Ash BartyEllen Perez clash last night also progressing to the last eight.
In other matches yesterday, former champion Agnieszka Radwanska ended Johanna Konta’s Sydney International defence with a 6-3 7-5 win, Solvakian Dominika Cibulkova beat Elena Vesnina 6-6 6-4 and Czech Barbora Strycova downed Ekatarina Makarova 6-4 6-1.
In the men’s draw Sydney-born Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic pushed Spaniard Feliciano Lopez before succumbing 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 and Argentine Leonardo Mayer downed German Mischa Zverev 7-5 6-3.