De Minaur wins again as Sinner progresses at Next Gen Finals
Having finished runner-up at the 2018 Next Generation ATP Finals, Alex de Minaur has made a strong start to this year's tournament.
Published : Nov 07, 2019 10:06 IST
Alex de Minaur made it two wins from two Next Generation ATP Finals matches as he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic on Wednesday, with Jannik Sinner booking a last-four spot.
Australian De Minaur, the highest-ranked player at the event, secured a 4-1, 4-3 (7-3), 1-4, 4-0 victory to follow up on his opening Group A win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Having been made to work hard for his triumph in Milan, particularly during the second and third sets, the 2018 runner-up was pleased with his powers of recovery.
"This is what you expect in these conditions," said the world number 18, referencing the shorter format. "A match can turn quickly. I didn't play badly, he just played well in the important moments.
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"I just had to regroup and stick to my game."
The impressive Sinner was a 4-0, 4-2, 4-1 winner over Mikael Ymer to ensure he will progress from Group B.
Casper Ruud, who lost his opener to Kecmanovic, inflicted a second consecutive defeat on Davidovich Fokina.
Davidovich Fokina took the first set and went the distance but came up short in a 3-4 (2-7), 4-3 (7-2), 4-2, 3-4 (2-7), 4-1 loss to the Norwegian.
In the other Group B clash, Frances Tiafoe recovered from his defeat to Sinner by beating Ugo Humbert, who has now suffered back-to-back reverses.
The American boosted his qualification hopes with a 4-2, 4-3 (7-5), 3-4 (4-7), 4-1 success.