2023-08-12 20:13:10
It would be putting a finger in the eye to suggest that despite a score strongly to his advantage, Alex De Minaur passed without reproach in the final of the National Bank Open. He beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semi-finals, yes, but it could have been more convincing.
Posted 4:13 p.m. Updated 6:07 p.m.
However, De Minaur was vulnerable, even if he managed to overcome the Spaniard on Saturday in two sets of 6-1 and 6-3.
There’s almost nothing to come out of the first installment of this game. De Minaur finished the round in thirty short minutes, mainly because his opponent arrived flat.
“To be frank, I was really very nervous before the game,” said a disappointed Davidovich Fokina bluntly after the game.
In all his matches since the start of the tournament, especially against Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud, the 37th world racket had started his matches in a lion, with his mane attached. He had never conceded the first set to his opponent this week.
Except that in the most important match of his season, even of his career, Davidovich Fokina collapsed. Step by step. “I played really badly today. […] My feet weren’t moving. It’s like I’m a plank of wood. »
PHOTO FRANK GUNN, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Alexander Davidovich Fokina
No ace. Four double faults, 41% of points won on the first pitch and 56% of his points won at the net. All of these bleak statistics are, however, even less revealing than the following two…
22 unforced errors and only two break points saved out of nine.
” I did not feel well. I was behind on all the balls. I didn’t give up, but it was a tough day at the office,” he said.
Alex De Minaur has turned everything around since the start of the week. All the players who crossed his path suffered in these two categories. However, to hope to reach the final of a Masters 1000, you have to know how to limit the damage. Something Davidovich Fokina was unable to do, giving the Toronto public a long agony.
Work to do
What was most appalling about this game was how De Minaur was never able to seriously take advantage of his rival’s shortcomings. The game lasted 77 minutes, but if the Aussie had played the way he has all week, this duel could have been over in less than an hour.
De Minaur has complicated life especially in the service. With only 47% of first serves, expect to pay the price in the semi-finals of Masters 1000.
PHOTO FRANK GUNN, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Alex de Minaur
The 18th player in the world was broken twice, when he was just two games away from victory, at 4-1.
Davidovich Fokina stood, but to no avail. Against any other opponent, De Minaur could have been played a nasty trick. He held on, but not without difficulty.
Once the ball was in play, he was often nonchalant and exhausted, especially on the backhand.
“I think in a game like this, you don’t want to overanalyze too much. The conditions were really complicated. It wasn’t ideal for playing perfect tennis and I knew that from the moment I stepped onto the court. I knew it was not going to be beautiful, ”said the winner at a press conference.
De Minaur will have to find a way to adjust, because it’s impossible to win a Masters 1000 final with so many shortcomings in his game.
“I think my strength is my versatility. And I’m able to adjust, because I have different game plans against each player.
If he wins the title, however, no one will remember this somewhat shaky semi-final. Currently, the “how” does not matter. De Minaur has to convince himself that he has a place in the final and when he enters center court tomorrow at 4 p.m. he will have to act as if nothing before mattered. Because it is.
A big moment
Although he seems to have inherited a permanent place in the top 20, De Minaur will be making his first appearance in the final of a Masters 1000.
“It feels like all the work, on and off the pitch, is finally paying off. It often happens to work hard and not get the desired results. So it’s always a huge dose of confidence when you’re able to put on matches. But right now, the job is not done. »
He has just returned from a lost final in Los Cabos, and he intends to win this time. Although he doesn’t want to project himself too much, he insists that a title in Toronto could have a monstrous impact on the rest of his season and his career.
“It would be a big step,” he said. [.. ] I want to prove a lot of people wrong. This is probably what motivates me the most. I am proud of what I do. But I feel a lot of satisfaction when I manage to prove to people that they were not right. »
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