Alex de Minaur continued his incredible run at the 2024 United Cup, beating Alexander Zverev to break into the ATP top 10 for the first time. Previously, in the group stage, he defeated USA’s sole top 10 representative Taylor Fritz to push him out of the elite group. Now, the Aussie has taken his spot.
De Minaur lost to Cameron Norrie in his opening fixture of the United Cup when Australia took on Great Britain. However, he rediscovered his form in the second round-robin fixture against the USA. He downed Fritz, who entered the competition as World No.10. The United States, though, exited the event, meaning their No.1 player fell down the rankings.
In the quarter-finals, De Minaur earned the biggest win of his career. He beat World No.1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets, grabbing headlines. Boosted by his victory, Australia swept aside Serbia to progress to the semi-finals.
The hosts face Germany in the final-four clash. Comeback star Angelique Kerber secured a win over Ajla Tomljanovic, which meant it was down to De Minaur to save the tie for his country. Up against World No.7 Zverev, he lost the first set. However, he mounted a fightback to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to keep Australia in the game.
With this win, De Minaur rose two spots in the live rankings. Beginning the tournament as World No.12, he is currently World No.10, a career high. His previous career-best ranking was World No.11, achieved in October 2023. He currently has 2950 points as per the live rankings. If Australia makes it to the final, he could add more points. However, he will not be able to surpass Hubert Hurkacz, who is at the No.9 spot. Poland has already qualified for the summit clash.
Alex de Minaur will look to carry momentum into the 2024 Australian Open
Alex de Minaur and Australia’s future in the 2024 United Cup lies in the hands of Storm Hunter and Matthew Ebden, their mixed doubles team. They are currently playing Germany’s duo of Laura Siegemund and Alexander Zverev. With the tie poised at 1-1, the winner of this clash will advance to face Poland in the final. At the time of writing, the Germans won the first set, 7-6 and were level 1-1 in the second set.
Regardless of Australia’s fate, De Minaur has had a great tournament individually. He will hope to make a deep run in the 2024 Australian Open in front of his home crowd. In 2022 and 2023, he reached the fourth round, his best performance in the first slam of the year. He will want his United Cup purple patch to extend into the tournament. A win over the most successful Australian Open player ever, Novak Djokovic, will give him great confidence.
The 2024 Australian Open will be Alex De Minaur’s next tournament. No local player has won the Slam since Mark Edmondson in 1976. In a field full of stars like Zverev, Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev, it is not going to be an easy task for the 24-year-old. However, his 2024 United Cup run shows De Minaur is capable of beating the big stars.
