Australia may have a new tennis star on its hands. His name is Alex De Minaur.
The 18-year-old has been an unlikely semifinalist at an ATP World Tour event for a second straight week at the Sydney International after reaching the final four the week before in Brisbane.
A week after reaching the Brisbane semifinals, De Minaur has done the same at the Sydney International. His tennis betting odds for Sydney and the upcoming Australian Open have become a much more popular attraction with his recent success.
“Mate, how good is this? I mean, you couldn’t ask for more,” De Minaur said to the adoring Australian crowd in Sydney after his quarterfinal win over Feliciano Lopez of Spain. “I couldn’t be prouder of my effort today. I wanted to make every single return I could. Just try to apply that constant pressure on his serve and I was able to make a lot of returns and that way get myself in the point and try to dictate from there.
“This is what you play for, to play these night matches and have all these people wait up and watch you play and support you every single point. I’m thankful for everyone who stayed, and let’s keep it going.”
Said Benoit Paire of France, De Minaur’s semifinal opponent in Sydney, “He’s a very talented player. The next generation I think for the Australian people. He is a very good player. He is young but for the moment at the beginning of the year he plays very well.”
De Minaur was born in Sydney to a Spanish mother and an Uruguayan father and relocated to Alicante, Spain, where he now splits time and trains, also embracing the Spanish style of tennis training. Said De Minaur to the Sydney Morning Herald of his Spanish-Australian heritage and allegiances, “I used to represent Spain but I always felt I was Australian. As soon as we moved back here again that was the first thing I wanted to do – play for Australia. “
In December, De Minaur won the wild card tournament to earn an main draw entry into the Australian Open. He finished the 2017 season with a ranking of No. 208.
In Brisbane, he received a wild card entry and beat Steve Johnson, Milos Raonic and Michael Mmoh before falling to Ryan Harrison. In Sydney, he beat Fernando Verdasco, Damir Dzumhur and Lopez.
De Minaur may be the next future star in men’s tennis like Denis Shapovalov, the Canadian who beat him in the final of the Wimbledon junior championships in 2016.
