Alex de Minaur has reached his 19th career ATP final at the Washington Open after beating Corentin Moutet.
De Minaur admitted he felt burnt out during the clay court season, reflected in his drop in form that caused him to fall outside the top 10.
However, after De Minaur lost to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, he has continued his resurgence in the U.S. capital.
The aforementioned Moutet has been causing players problems at the Washington Open this year, but De Minaur has now admitted that he noticed a weakness in the Frenchman’s game.
Alex de Minaur explains the tactic he used to beat Corentin Moutet
Prior to the semifinal match, qualifier Moutet had shocked eighth seed Daniil Medvedev.
However, Moutet was unable to cause another upset against De Minaur, who beat him 6-4 6-3.
De Minaur won 17 of his 21 points at the net, and in his post-match press conference explained how he was trying to make Moutet hit passing shots from the backhand side.
“Yeah, that’s something I have been doing all week long,” said De Minaur. “I have been backing myself in these quick courts to be aggressive and get to the net.
“Today against Moutet was another part of my game plan. I mean, he’s got amazing wheels. He can extend rallies forever and ever. But I do feel that at times you can kind of sneak in on his backhand side and kind of make him pass off the slice. And if he does, too good.
“But yet again, you know, he managed to play some good points when I came in at the very end, throwing in some deep lobs and hitting some pretty amazing passing shots. Ultimately that was the game plan, and I was going to back that until the very last point.”
Alex de Minaur vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Head-to-Head
De Minaur will now look to win his 10th career title and first this year, as he takes on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final.
Davidovich Fokina beat Ben Shelton in his semifinal, but has never won an ATP title before.
The Washington Open finalists have played four times before, with Davidovich Fokina and De Minaur winning two matches apiece.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2019 | Next Gen ATP Finals (RR) | De Minaur beat Davidovich Fokina, 4-2 3(5)-4 4-1 4-1 |
| 2021 | Monte Carlo Masters (R64) | Davidovich Fokina beat De Minaur, 6-4 7-6(3) |
| 2022 | Queen’s Club Championships (R16) | Davidovich Fokina beat De Minaur, 4-6 6-4 7-5 |
| 2023 | Canadian Open (SF) | De Minaur beat Davidovich Fokina, 6-1 6-3 |
The last time they played was at the Canadian Open in 2023, where De Minaur comfortably beat the Spaniard in straight sets.
They will now add the latest chapter in their head-to-head in the Washington Open final, which takes place at 5pm local time on Sunday, July 27.
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