Marin Cilic rolls back the years as second seed Alex de Minaur dumped out at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Match Report
Alex de Minaur's week is not going to plan at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships with Marin Cilic rolling back the years to dump out the second seed 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
Cilic had to use a protected ranking to get in this week but exerted pressure from the get go on De Minaur who has been one of the best players on tour this season thus far.
It is a first top 10 win since 2022 for the former Grand Slam champion who is now 36 and alongside the likes of Novak Djokovic, Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka remain the stalwarts of the game still competing and in this case taking down top names.
It is just his second match of 2025, he has won just seven matches on the ATP Tour since 2022 and hasn't beaten not only a top 10 player but a player ranked in the top 35 since 2022. But now he has just beaten the World No.8 who continues to go from strength to strength but suffered a poor loss at the hands of the Croat.
The signs perhaps were there though for Cilic who played an encouraging match last week against Alcaraz in Doha and is now into the second round in Dubai. The hope will be for him that he just keeps fit. He has often shown in the past few years that his deft touch is still there but it often is haemorrhaged by an injury.
It is the first opening round match lost by De Minaur since June when he was defeated by Lorenzo Musetti at Queen's Club and now it is Alexei Popyrin for Cilic. He also sits in the quarter with Nuno Borges who took down Arthur Fils earlier today in a quality win. What can he feasibly do this week after claiming this incredible win.
Match Statistics Cilic vs. de Minaur
| Cilic | VS | de Minaur |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 3 | Aces | 2 |
| 3 | Double Faults | 4 |
| 60% (53/89) | 1st Service Percentage | 49% (36/74) |
| 68% (36/53) | 1st Service Points Won | 67% (24/36) |
| 56% (20/36) | 2nd Service Points Won | 47% (18/38) |
| 71% (5/7) | Break Points Saved | 0% (0/4) |
| 83% (10/12) | Service Games | 69% (9/13) |
| Return | ||
| 33% (12/36) | 1st Return Points Won | 32% (17/53) |
| 53% (20/38) | 2nd Return Points Won | 44% (16/36) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 2h 12m | Match Duration | 2h 12m |
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