US Open: Alex de Minaur suffers straight sets defeat to Jack Draper in quarter-finals
Alex de Minaur’s US Open campaign is over after a straight sets loss to a rising British star, with the Aussie seemingly fighting an injury throughout.
A hobbled and heartbroken Alex de Minaur has missed a golden opportunity to make a grand slam semi-final for the first time, with an apparent aggravation of a hip injury to blame.
The Australian 10th seed crashed out of the US Open in a straight sets defeat to British left-hander Jack Draper, who prevailed 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 in New York.
Almost two months after he was forced out of Wimbledon with a cartilage tear in his hip, de Minaur appeared to be struggling at times throughout the match, occasionally grabbing at his hip as he lacked the explosive cross-court movement that has propelled him up the rankings.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the 25-year-old did not directly confirm when or how his injury worsened, but he acknowledged that he was “not expecting today”.
“Today wasn’t ideal … I was expecting to feel better, I was trending in the right direction, and today was a little bit the opposite of that,” de Minaur said.
“Jack is never easy to play in the best of times, and the way he can spread the court being a lefty and really move you around the court – it takes a toll on the body. Accumulation of matches takes a toll as well.”
“But yeah, it’s fine – I dealt with it after Wimbledon, I’ll deal with it after here and I’ll be back in no time, and hopefully sliding from side to side with not a thought in my head.”
Draper was in control throughout their clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium, creating 20 break point opportunities as de Minaur struggled to find any rhythm on his serve.
The Australian only managed 21 winners, and despite being considered one of the world’s best returners, he had few answers against the Brit’s powerful serve.
Throughout the tournament, de Minaur acknowledged he had low expectations in New York, having battled to be fit to play. He became the first Australian to make three grand slam quarter-finals in a season since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.
“I’m very proud of myself, of what I’ve achieved all things considered, doing everything I could to be in this position. Today, it wasn’t meant to be, but yeah, I’m proud of my efforts,” he said after the match.
“It’s tough. It’s a big opportunity … I’d rather try and think about what I was doing six, seven weeks ago and where I am now, and try to focus on that instead of dwelling on what just happened and me potentially having one of the bigger opportunities of my career and it just slipping away from my hands.”
Asked whether his hip problem could force him out of this month’s Davis Cup, de Minaur said: “I really don’t know … Everything was trending in the right direction and now I don’t know.
“I guess I’ll just have to wait and see with a couple of days, how it pulls up,” he added.
But de Minaur said he never thought about dropping out of the clash with Draper, saying he “genuinely thought I was a chance even in that last game”.
“Stopping didn’t cross my mind at any stage. It’s not part of me, part of my DNA,” he said.
“I’m always going to give my best.”
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