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Sydney International Men's singles, quarter-final Ken Rosewall Arena Alex De Minaur vs Feliciano Lopez |
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Aussie Alex De Minaur is eyeing his second ATP semi-final in as many weeks when he plays Spaniard Feliciano Lopez tonight. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 8.15pm (AEDT).
De Minaur is a player on the rise. Not only has he defeated established stars such as Fernando Verdasco, Steve Johnson, Milos Raonic and Damir Dzumhur, he has beaten all of them in straight sets.
Indeed, the only set he has dropped in recent matches was against Ryan Harrison en route to a tough three-set loss at the Brisbane International last week.
De Minaur’s performances of late reflect a young mind grounded by the tutelage of none other than Lleyton Hewitt, who has shaped De Minaur into a confident player not affected by hubris.
Tonight, the young Aussie takes centre stage against Lopez. The Spaniard is coming off a very good win over Diego Schwartzman but he will need to improve to beat De Minaur tonight in Sydney.
Lopez’s strength is his serve and forehand. He has won three of his six tournaments on grass, meaning he likes to serve and volley frequently.
However, the problem for Lopez tonight concerns the fact De Minaur is a very good returner of serve. The likes of Raonic and Verdasco failed to gain much reward from their big serving, and it remains to be seen if Lopez will gain any leverage given how well De Minaur is defending from the back of the court.
Furthermore, De Minaur gets on the front foot very well for a player his age, using his forehand consistently to put players under pressure.
Prediction
On form, De Minaur is difficult to bet against, particularly with home crowd support adding further advantage and incentive for him to do well. Lopez is a solid player, but can lose his way mentally when under pressure, and De Minaur is just the sort of player that can frustrate the Spaniard if he continues to play with the tenacity he has shown over the past week.
Overall, De Minaur’s quality should see him through to another ATP semi-final.
De Minaur in three sets.