Alex de Minaur has battled into the last 16 of the Rotterdam Open after a hard-fought victory over Arthur Fils.
De Minaur dropped to eighth in the world rankings just before the ATP 500 tournament, where he is the top seed.
The Australian is playing his first event since the Australian Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Just as he did on home soil, De Minaur has a tough draw at the Rotterdam Open, but he’s now made it past a significant stumbling block.
He defeated Fils 7-6(7-3), 6-2 after one hour and 32 minutes, and now meets the winner of Aleksandar Vukic versus Stan Wawrinka.
Will Alex de Minaur ever crack the ATP top five?
Alex de Minaur leads Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for ATP 500 wins
Impressively, De Minaur now has 49 ATP 500 match wins to his name since the start of the 2023 season, which is more than any other player.
World number one Alcaraz is his closest competitor with 44, while Sinner and Daniil Medvedev follow with 43.
Daniil Medvedev has 42, although notably both Alcaraz and Sinner have clinched six ATP 500 titles during that period.
De Minaur is behind the pair on three, while Zverev and Medvedev each have two.
Alex de Minaur was ready for a ‘battle’ versus Arthur Fils
Neither Alcaraz nor Sinner are competing at the Rotterdam Open, meaning De Minaur can open the gap further.
And he has the added motivation of revenge this year, having lost last year’s final to the Spanish superstar, and remarkably the 2024 final to Sinner.
This year’s top seed has started his campaign in fine fashion, saying of his win over Fils: “It was never going to be easy.
“I told myself I was ready for a battle, up for the challenge, and excited for it.
“I haven’t had too many easy matches this year and I’m looking at this as a challenge, which I’m enjoying.
“It pushes me to be ready from the first point.”
What does Alex de Minaur need to change to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Intriguingly, Medvedev has already been knocked out of the tournament, while other high-profile names will soon follow given the high-quality nature of the field.
But De Minaur could meet Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final, with the Canadian on cloud nine after clinching the title in Montpellier right before Rotterdam.
Still, the Australian is arguably the player to beat this week, with a 50th ATP 500 win since 2023 now his next focus.
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