'It wasn't pretty': De Minaur moves past Moutet to secure spot in Washington final
- Brett Phillips
- Jul 27
- 2 min read
On a steamy Saturday night under the lights, Alex de Minaur triumphed over French lucky loser Corentin Moutet to book his spot in the final of the ATP 500 in Washington for a second time, after being a finalist back in 2018.
The 6-4, 6-3 victory sees the 26-year-old reach his 19th tour-level final, eighth at 500 level, where he has been the most successful player since 2023.
When match time arrived just after 8pm local time, the temperature was sitting on 29 degrees and the humidity was at 75 per cent. At least there was some respite from the direct sun that featured earlier in the day.
Keen to get out of the blocks well, the Aussie was building the pressure on Moutet's serve with break point oppportunities in his second and third service games and in the crucial seventh game of the set he struck to get the break and go on to take the first set 6-4.
The assertiveness in de Minaur’s play was evident in the first four games of the second set, sweating all over Moutet with his speed and exceptional net play, looking at every opportunity possible to get forward and close out points.
However, albeit cruising with a 4-0 lead in the second set, de Minaur's resilience was evident after being broken twice, eventually getting over the line for a straight sets win.
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"It wasn't pretty tennis, by any means," said de Minaur, who now re-enters the top 10 per the live rankings.
"I knew it was going to be a battle, and a tricky match with not a lot of rhythm, because that's just what he's able to do to opponents. I just had the mentality to do whatever it took today to give myself a title match tomorrow.
"It feels like the humidity is growing every single day. Today, I had a couple of puddles in my shoes, so I had to change [them] mid-set, which is a first, but I guess tomorrow, I'll just bring an extra pair of shoes. I'll be ready."
With de Minaur set to face 12th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final, who upset American hope Ben Shelton in straight sets, the stakes could not be higher for the Aussie, who is seeking his first title of the year.
It will mark the fifth showdown between de Minaur and Davidovich Fokina, who have split their head-to-head meetings at 2-2, hoping it will showcase the thrilling level of competition seen throughout the tournament.
'Demon' is bidding to become the first Aussie since Nick Kyrgios in 2022 to capture the title in the American capital.
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