Australia’s 10th seed Alex de Minaur faced a potential upset but ultimately overcame a tough challenge from Finland’s Otto Virtanen, winning 7-5, 6-1, 7-6(3) on Grandstand to advance to the third round of the US Open on Thursday. De Minaur’s victory marked his return to competition after withdrawing from Wimbledon due to a hip injury. He also missed the singles event at the Paris Olympics, and his participation in the second-round match against Virtanen was in doubt due to the injury.
The match began with a surprising start as Virtanen, ranked 125th in the world, took a commanding 3-0 lead. De Minaur, who had never faced Virtanen before, seemed to be caught off guard by the Finn’s powerful serve and confident net play. Virtanen extended his lead to 5-2, seemingly poised for an upset. However, this proved to be a wake-up call for De Minaur, who then unleashed a dominant run, winning seven consecutive games to take the first set and establish a 2-0 lead in the second set.
The momentum shifted dramatically as Virtanen began to unravel, his unforced error count rising. He also took a medical timeout for back treatment, but the relief proved temporary. De Minaur, seizing the opportunity, easily took the second set, leaving Virtanen struggling to maintain his composure.
Despite the deficit, Virtanen fought back valiantly in the third set, keeping pace with De Minaur and forcing a tiebreak. However, De Minaur’s experience and clinical play proved too much for the Finn. He raced to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak and ultimately secured victory on his fourth match point when Virtanen’s return landed in the net.
De Minaur now faces a challenging match against either Briton Dan Evans or Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the third round. He expressed his satisfaction with his performance and his continued improvement, stating, “I’m happy to keep going every day, I’m getting a little bit better and I’m looking forward to what’s to come. Still not a lot of expectations, but I know every time I step out there I’m going to compete, I’m going to try my hardest and hopefully put on a show.”
