Alex de Minaur showed his comeback qualities once again on Friday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, where he upset World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev 7-6(7), 7-5 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.
After fighting back from 1-5 in the first set in his previous match against Taylor Fritz, the Australian showed similar powers of recovery against Medvedev. Competing in his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final, De Minaur rallied from 2-5 in the first set, saving three set points in the tie-break before clinching the opener. He then twice rallied from a break down in the second set to inflict just the fourth hard-court defeat of the season on Medvedev, who lifted the trophy in Toronto in 2021.
“I had to play some of my best tennis today,” De Minaur said. “It has been a great week for me so far. I played the right way today. I think having played him at the end of last year gave me the confidence that I had a chance. I just had to play the right way and I am extremely proud of the effort and to still be alive.
“I know every time I play Daniil it will be a chess match. We are both very good at adapting and playing different styles and it brings the best out of me. I have to be aggressive and take the chances I get. I think this style of tennis is my best style of tennis.”
The 24-year-old, who also defeated seed Cameron Norrie earlier this week, has now earned four Top 5 wins. He will continue the quest for his eighth tour-level title and the biggest of his career against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday.
Earlier this season, De Minaur captured the crown in Acapulco, before he advanced to the title match in Los Cabos last week (l. to Stefanos Tsitsipas). The Australian’s latest run has lifted him to 11th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He is also up to No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, having reached a previous career-high No. 15 in 2021.
Medvedev holds a 22-4 record at ATP Masters 1000 events in 2023. The second seed triumphed in Miami and Rome earlier this year and was chasing his sixth title of the season. The 27-year-old struggled on serve against De Minaur, winning just 54 per cent (25/46) of points on his first delivery. De Minaur improved to 2-4 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Medvedev with his 31st win of the season.