Australia’s
Alex De Minaur won the Libema Open after producing a
thumping performance in the final on Sunday. The 25-year-old was simply too hot to handle for America’s Sebastian
Korda in the semifinal in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4.
De Minaur reached the final after beating France’s Ugo Humbert in the semifinal in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3. On the other hand, Korda defeated Dutch tennis star Tallon Griekspoor in the semifinal in straight sets, 6-2,
6-4.
On the big day, De Minaur was just too strong from the beginning. He produced nine winners in the first set alone, six more than his opponent.
He was far more disciplined and committed
just two unforced errors, seven fewer than Korda.
In the second set, the American tennis star produced a much better show despite his serve being broken early on. One of the most important aspects of De Minaur’s performance on Saturday was his ability to stay disciplined throughout the game. He committed 14 unforced errors, 12 fewer than Korda.
It was the ninth title for the Sydney-born star in his illustrious
career and this year's second title. He also won the Mexico Open in February earlier this year, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the
final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4.
The world number nine will next appear in the Queen’s ATP Championship, where he will face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 32. De Minaur will be hoping that his performance in the Libema
Open will help him achieve a much better performance in the upcoming third
Grand Slam of the year.
Despite winning as many as nine titles, the current world
number nine has never managed to play beyond the quarterfinal of any Grand
Slam. He recently participated in the French Open where he was knocked out
after losing in the last-eight clash to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight
sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6, 6-4.
On the other hand, Korda would have been relatively satisfied
with his performance even though he missed out on winning his second ATP
title. Before taking part in the Libema Open, Korda’s best
performance came in the Dubai Tennis Championship where he was eventually
knocked out of the competition after losing in the quarterfinal in straight sets
to Russia’s Andrey Rublev with a score of 6-4, 6-3.