de Minaur Overcomes Delays to Dominate Guerrieri at US Open
Alex de Minaur waited four days to hit a ball at this US Open. Once he finally stepped on court, he barely needed an hour and a half to remind the tournament why he is the world No.7.
On a damp, stop-start New York morning pushed out to Court 11, far from the glamour of Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong, Australia’s standard-bearer ripped through Italian qualifier Andrea Guerrieri 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in 99 brisk minutes, split by yet another rain delay.
He’d been scheduled to start on Wednesday (AEST). The weather had other ideas. Again.
By the time the chair umpire halted play with de Minaur leading 6-2, 4-2, the match already felt decided. Guerrieri, a 27-year-old playing his first grand slam main draw, had been broken in the opening game of each of the first two sets and never truly escaped the Australian’s grip.
Two hours in the locker room did nothing to change that.
Adapt and attack
“These tournaments, it’s all about adapting – and that’s the name of the game,” de Minaur said afterwards, a line that could double as the slogan for this sodden first week in Queens.
“There’s too much to play for to let something like this affect you, so I’m glad [about how] I handled it. I’m glad I got in and out, played a relatively clean match, and now I can focus on the next one.”
He did exactly that. From the opening point he looked sharp, his feet dancing on the hard court, his ball-striking crisp and early. The left-handed Guerrieri was rushed, pinned, and repeatedly dragged into corners he didn’t want to visit.
De Minaur joined fellow Australians Dane Sweeny, Tristan Schoolkate, Taylah Preston, Kim Birrell, Maya Joint, Alexei Popyrin and James Duckworth as first-round winners, an impressive early haul given the scheduling chaos.
There was one blemish. With the finish line in clear view and a 4-2 lead in the third set within reach, de Minaur tossed in a loose service game, losing it to love. The lapse lingered into his next service game as he slipped 0-30 behind with the Wilson balls in his hand.
The response was emphatic. He reset, tightened the screws again and closed out the match without further drama. No theatrics. Just a professional job done, and quickly.
No matter what
The day was far less kind to others in the Australian camp.
Twenty-year-old wildcard Taylah Preston ran into an unforgiving Taylor Townsend and was swept aside 6-1, 6-1 in only 48 minutes, finishing with just two winners against 28 unforced errors. It was a brutal lesson in the margins at this level.
Kim Birrell fought hard against No.18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, clawing back the second set to force a decider. Her momentum vanished with a double fault on the very first point of the third set, handing the initiative straight back to the Russian. The window never reopened and Birrell slipped to a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 defeat.
Off the main show courts, there was more upheaval. Daria Kasatkina, whose match had also been chewed up by the rain, fell to Spain’s former world No.2 Paula Badosa. Resuming just two points from victory, Badosa had to fend off two break-back points before finally finishing the job 6-1, 5-4, needing nine match points to earn a second-round clash with 2024 champion Coco Gauff.
Even in de Minaur’s own household, the day carried a sting. His wife, British player Katie Boulter, exited with a heavy 6-1, 6-0 loss to Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova.
“Of course, it’s difficult,” de Minaur said. “Ultimately, we’ve got each other’s backs no matter what, and we’ve always got one eye out on each other. Obviously, it was a tough day for Katie, and I had to do my best to just focus on my task ahead and get the job done in the best way possible. I’m glad I was able to achieve that today.”
A tricky road ahead
The setting on Thursday underlined his status. Originally slated for the bigger Grandstand a day earlier, de Minaur instead found himself pushed to the outer reaches of Flushing Meadows on Court 11, with no retractable roof to shield him from the stop-start skies.
The stage may have been modest. The challenges now are anything but.
Next comes Botic van de Zandschulp, the dangerous Dutchman who advanced in straight sets past Brit Jan Choinski and carries real pedigree in New York. Two years ago, van de Zandschulp famously knocked out Carlos Alcaraz in the second round here, a reminder that he can turn a big name into a scalp in this city.
If seedings hold, 31st seed Zizou Bergs looms in the third round and top seed Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. Zverev needed almost five hours to survive Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in his opener, a marathon that could yet leave a mark later in the fortnight.
One potential obstacle has already disappeared. In-form No.12 seed Rafael Jodar, a projected fourth-round opponent, crashed out in stunning fashion, hammered 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 by lucky loser Bu Yunchaokete. The Chinese player only entered the draw when Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew with an ankle problem, and promptly detonated that section.
For de Minaur, it subtly lightens the path without guaranteeing anything.
New York comfort, New York expectations
This is a tournament that has usually treated him well. A three-time quarter-finalist at the US Open, he knows the rhythms of the place, the bounce of the courts, the noise that never quite dies down, even out on the back courts.
After a brilliant start to the season – a second straight Australian Open quarter-final and the Rotterdam title – his year has cooled. By his own rising standards, third-round and fourth-round exits at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon felt like steps sideways, not forwards.
The US Open offers a chance to correct that trajectory, to reach at least the last eight again and remind the locker room that his top-10 ranking reflects more than just a hot patch in January and February.
He knows the equation, and he knows the only way to the stadium courts.
“Because of the rain, there’s nothing you can do about it,” he said. “You’ve just got to get out there, play your tennis match and, ultimately, if you win enough matches, you’re going to get out on the stadium court. So that’s the mindset.”
For now, he has done his part: one match, one win, barely a scratch.
On Thursday (AEST), Maya Joint faces No.9 seed Elina Svitolina and James Duckworth meets Wu Yibing as the Australian contingent tries to ride the same wave through the puddles and postponements.
The weather may keep shifting in New York. The question now is whether de Minaur’s tournament can stay on its current, ruthless line.
