Alex de Minaur Shares Injury Status After Shanghai Masters Quarterfinal Berth
Alex de Minaur has secured a spot in his 10th ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal by beating Karen Khachanov in Shanghai. The Australian is competing for a place in the ATP Finals set for Turin next month.
He won the round of 16 match against Khachanov with scores of 6-3, 6-4. De Minaur is set to face either Alexander Zverev or Alexander Bublik in the next round.
Injury Update Amid Shanghai Masters Run
De Minaur entered the Shanghai Masters shortly after retiring from the China Open final against Novak Djokovic due to a groin injury. At that time in Beijing, he was down 6-7(3-7), 1-0.
Speaking to reporters in Shanghai about his current condition and movement, De Minaur said:
"Yeah, it’s been feeling better and better every single day. It’s been seven to eight days since that match, and there’s been a lot of focus on the recovery aspect of it. I’ve been doing everything in my power to feel better each and every day. Today was by far the best day. I had to complement that with some great tennis and great serving and some smart kind of tactics. All in all, I thought it was a very clean match, which I’m very happy with."
Strong Tactical Play Leads to Victory
Discussing his backhand winners down the line and other key moments from the win over Khachanov, he added:
"Yeah, exactly. I mean, in the first set I hit a big one to break. Then there were a couple big ones throughout the match where I just backed myself, and I’m glad that I did that because if I let him dictate, he’s so dangerous. It was kind of up to me to try and do my best to be the first one to get him moving, and then play the point out from there."
Upcoming Challenge Awaits Against Top Opponents
De Minaur will soon face a tough opponent, either top seed Zverev or 19th seed Bublik. He previewed both players:
"Well, Zverev, number one player in the world. He has played incredible this whole year, immense amount of confidence, the most in-form player, for sure. Bublik, he’s got the ability to beat anyone on any given day. I’m excited to watch that match and see what happens."
His head-to-head records stand at 4-8 against Zverev and 4-2 versus Bublik. Earlier in the tournament, De Minaur defeated qualifier Rei Sakamoto.
If he wins the quarterfinal, De Minaur could face one of Arthur Gea, Jakub Mensik, Hubert Hurkacz, or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semifinals. Potential final opponents include Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, or Daniil Medvedev.
