De Minaur leapfrogs rival in nail-biting ATP Finals race

(Getty/Scott Taetsch)

As it stands, Alex de Minaur will become the first Australian to participate in back-to-back Nitto ATP Finals editions since Lleyton Hewitt, with three months until the cut-off.

'Demon' saved three championship points against good friend Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to claim his 10th ATP title at the Washington 500 event.

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The 26-year-old has jumped five places to world No.8, which will hand him a vital top-eight seed to protect him from the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz prior to the quarter-finals at the US Open later in August.

But the good news doesn't stop there for the top-ranked Aussie, who has leapfrogged big-hitting American Ben Shelton in eighth position in the race to Turin.

The ATP Finals, hosted in the Italian city of Turin, comprise the top eight performing players on tour, based on ranking points accumulated throughout the calendar year.

The live race to Turin as of July 29. (ATP Tour)

De Minaur is 125 points clear of Shelton, who fell short in Washington at the semi-final stage, while three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud sits 410 points behind eighth position.

Last year marked de Minaur's maiden appearance at the ATP Finals, becoming the first Aussie to feature in the singles draw since Hewitt in 2004.

In the 2024 edition, seven-time champion Novak Djokovic withdrew from the prestigious tournament to take care of a niggling injury. He has previously stated that Grand Slams are his priority, which could open the door further for de Minaur.

So far, Alcaraz is the only player to qualify for the end-of-year indoor hard-court event, which kicks off on November 9.

The Toronto Masters 1000, which commenced this week, is the next opportunity for de Minaur to gain valuable points.

After coming off his title in the American capital on Monday, the five-time major quarter-finalist shared the relentless nature of the professional circuit.

"This is something that a lot of people don't understand.... You work so hard all your life for special moments, and those moments last two minutes; they don't last long," de Minaur told ABC Sport.

"Then you're focusing on the next one, and the way it all works, I mean, in the tennis world, I've got a tournament to get ready for on Wednesday, a Masters, which is an even bigger tournament than the one I just played.

"So I've literally got tonight to enjoy, celebrate, acknowledge the incredible week I've had."

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