Alex DE MINAUR ends Stefanos TSITSIPAS drought, maintains strong grip Mexican Open title defense

Alex De Minaur (No. 9) ended a negative streak against Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 12) by 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 and continues to pursue the defense of the Mexican Open title. The Australian overcame a shaky start against an opponent he had never defeated. Tsitsipas led an astonishing head-to-head record of 10-0, with De Minaur having only stolen one set from the Greek.

It was a nervy clash between two players who consistently deliver strong performances in Mexico. De Minaur arrived as the defending champion in Acapulco, while Tsitsipas had won the title at Los Cabos Open just six months ago, defeating De Minaur in the final.

The match started explosively with both players securing a break in the first two games. With the score tied at 1-1, Tsitsipas found his serve and capitalized on De Minaur's clear deficiencies in serving. The Greek secured three consecutive breaks and faced no new break points against him, easily taking the first set 6-1.

The Australian managed only a 47% first-serve percentage, winning just 38% of those points and a mere 11% with his second serve. The current world No. 9 won only 32% of the points in a disappointing start.

The second set saw De Minaur defending his serve for the first time in the match and quickly taking a break to go up 2-0. From there, both players experienced inconsistency in their serves, and with a total of five consecutive breaks, it was the Australian who took the lead 4-2.

At 5-3, De Minaur had his first set point with Tsitsipas serving, but the Greek saved it to stay alive. De Minaur faced some doubts in closing the set but ultimately secured it 6-3 on his fourth set point.

The third set showcased the best moments of tennis, with both players displaying better efficiency in serving and fewer unforced errors on both sides. With an even start, the first break came in the fifth game in favor of De Minaur, who then went ahead 4-2 from the serve.

Tsitsipas made several unforced errors, especially on the backhand side, which had been his most dangerous weapon during the first half of the match. Finally, De Minaur did not hesitate to close the challenging encounter with another break, securing the victory 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

In the semifinals, he will face the British player Jack Draper (No. 50), who has been in impeccable form throughout the tournament, not losing more than four games per match this week, defeating Tommy Paul (14th), Yoshito Nishioka (82nd), and Miomir Kecmanovic (53rd).