Alex De Minaur falls agonisingly short against Ryan Harrison in Brisbane International semi-final

AUSTRALIAN teenager Alex de Minaur fought to the end but his stunning run at the Brisbane International came to an end after a gallant semi-final defeat to American Ryan Harrison.

AUSTRALIAN teenager Alex de Minaur hopes his stunning run at the Brisbane International can propel him to even greater heights during the Australian summer.

The 18-year-old fell short in his bid to become the first wildcard to reach the men’s final in the 10-year history of the event, beaten by the experience and composure of American Ryan Harrison. World No.47 Harrison fought back from a set down and fended off a spirited late challenge from the young Australian to win their semi-final 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. De Minaur admitted to being “heartbroken” immediately after their battle, lasting two hours and 37 minutes, but said he had also received a timely confidence boost. “You have some of your biggest highs, and then you’ve got some matches where you finish and you’re a little bit heartbroken, but this is what I love about this sport,” de Minaur said. “This is just going to make me work harder tomorrow, get ready for my next one. REVEALED: MAJOR PLANS TO REVAMP SUMMER OF TENNIS ‘INCREDIBLE’: KOOKINAKIS CLAIMS BIG SCALP “I’m looking at the bigger picture. I’ve had a great week, and this is just going to help me for the next upcoming weeks and the Australian Open as well.” De Minaur secured a place in the Australian Open by winning last month’s wildcard playoff. He will travel today to the Sydney International, where he faces Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the first round. The 208th-ranked de Minaur went into the match against Harrison having not dropped a set all tournament. He upset another American, world No.44 Steve Johnson, in the first round before knocking No.4 seed and former champion Milos Raonic out in the second and defeating 19-year-old American qualifier Michael Mmoh in the quarter-finals. He gave a hugely supportive crowd much to cheer about early yesterday. Showing some great hustle round the court, a cornerstone of his game, and producing some excellent returns, de Minaur held his own before making a crucial breakthrough in a high-pressure seventh game. Holding break point, he challenged a Harrison serve, which Hawk-Eye showed was out and de Minaur broke him when the point was replayed as the American sent a backhand long. De Minaur won his next service game to love and then converted his first of two set points with an ace. A couple of nervy errors from de Minaur in the second-set tiebreak opened the door for Harrison, who reeled off four straight points to force a decider. The 25-year-old American dominated the third set early, surging to a 4-0 lead. De Minaur refused to go quietly, coming back from 1-5 down to break his opponent in the eighth game and and then holding to make it 4-5. But the 25-year-old Harrison, who enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2017, kept his cool to serve out the match. Apart from a few what-if moments, namely being broken by Harrison early in the third set, de Minaur said the week had done wonders for him. “It helps a lot for my self-belief,” he said. “I feel like I’m playing at a great level, and this is the level I want to be playing. So I just want to keep it going.” Harrison admitted to being surprised at how aggressive de Minaur played, predicting “a really bright future” ahead for the youngster. “He’s obviously a great player, he’s producing some great tennis,” Harrison said. RECAP ALL THE ACTION IN THE BLOG BELOW

Originally published as Alex De Minaur falls agonisingly short against Ryan Harrison in Brisbane International semi-final