At the Mubadala DC Open, defending champion Alex de Minaur made a strong statement by defeating his longtime nemesis, Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Australian, who had struggled to beat the unranked Greek for years, finally secured a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory, marking his first win in 13 attempts. Tsitsipas, once a Grand Slam finalist, has dropped to 51st in the ATP rankings, but the match still presented a challenge for de Minaur.
De Minaur’s win was both a personal milestone and a key step in his title defense. Known for his competitive nature, he found his rhythm early and pushed through a tough third set to take control. His performance showed the kind of resilience that organizers had hoped the new 32-player format would encourage.
Next up for de Minaur is 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, the son of two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt. Cruz recently made history by becoming the youngest player to win a match in Washington since 2007, when Kei Nishikori did so. De Minaur has known the teenager since childhood and described the match-up as both a friendly rivalry and a serious challenge.
“Cruz can take the racket right out of your hands,” de Minaur said with a grin. “He’s aggressive at the net and has that big swing that can catch you off guard.” Despite the contrasting styles between father and son, de Minaur praised Cruz’s confidence and skill.
The younger Hewitt, who has already trained with de Minaur extensively, is considered a rising star. The pair will battle it out for a quarterfinals spot, with de Minaur declaring himself ready for the challenge. The match promises to be a highlight of the tournament.
On the women’s side, the defending champion Leylah Fernandez was stunned by rising Filipino talent Alex Eala. In a tightly contested match, Eala claimed a 2-6, 6-7 (1-7) victory, ending Fernandez’s title defense and propelling the young phenom into the second round. Eala now has the chance to reach a semifinal at a WTA 500-level tournament for the second time this year, following her impressive run in Berlin.
Eala will face the winner of the match between Elina Svitolina and Veronika Kudermetova, with another shot at advancing. Meanwhile, other seeded players were also knocked out. Eighth-seeded American Emma Navarro lost to Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Naomi Osaka had to retire after leading 3-1 in her match against Ashlyn Krueger.
In doubles, the American duo of Venus Williams and Diana Shnaider fell to the Japanese pairing of Xu Yifan and Tang Qianhui. Williams, who is 46, had already been eliminated in singles the previous day, ending her tournament early.
On the men’s side, the top seeds continued to advance. Fourth-seed Lorenzo Musetti defeated Aleksandar Vukic in a three-set thriller, and American Taylor Fritz, one of four U.S. men remaining, beat Kamil Majchrzak. Fritz acknowledged he had missed a few key break points, but expressed satisfaction with his performance and progress.
Fritz said, “I feel like I’m playing well overall, but there are those big moments where I need to step it up. Still, I’m happy with how the match went.” With the quarterfinals within reach, he’s focused on maintaining his momentum.
Young talents also made a mark in the tournament. American Alex Michelsen triumphed over Adrian Mannarino, and 19-year-old Rafael Jodar beat former champion Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2. Nishikori, who is still recovering from hip surgery, called the loss bittersweet, though he praised the support from the crowd.
Jodar, a rising star, said he felt at home on the court, adding, “I’ve played here before, and the atmosphere is always special. It’s a shame I couldn’t play better today.” The match signaled a turning point for younger players in the tournament.