Alex de Minaur faced a challenging match against the seasoned French player Adrian Mannarino as the fourth day of Wimbledon commenced under sunny skies. Despite not being at his peak performance, he managed to secure a convincing victory.
The Australian No. 1 triumphed over his left-handed adversary with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in a match that lasted one hour and 49 minutes on Thursday.
De Minaur swiftly claimed the first two sets, each taking 38 minutes, breaking his opponent’s serve twice in the first and three times in the second.
However, his own serve showed some vulnerability, as he was broken in both sets, particularly struggling with his second serve. In the final set, he overcame a tough service game at 2-2 that included five deuces, ultimately breaking Mannarino’s spirit.
At that point, the match was effectively decided, with the 38-year-old Mannarino unable to mount a comeback after falling behind by two sets and a break. De Minaur maintained his momentum, breaking Mannarino again without dropping a point.
Support from Australian fans was palpable as Maya Joint and James Duckworth followed him onto court 3, and they were rewarded with an improved performance compared to his tense first-round win over Roman Andres Burruchaga in the same arena.
As the tournament progresses, contenders aim to enhance their play, and de Minaur is successfully meeting that goal thus far.
“I definitely think I started better, I had more intent, more conviction in what I needed to do,” de Minaur stated, expressing his enthusiasm. “super stoked and super grateful to be playing some good tennis with some great weather here in London”
“I just love it here and I’m hoping I can stay here for a long time.”
His next opponent in the third round will be either Kamil Majchrzak, who recently surprised de Minaur in the final at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, marking his first victory in three encounters, or American Zach Svajda, whom de Minaur has yet to face.
