Tim Henman shares what went badly wrong for Alex de Minaur in US Open defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime
In the 2025 US Open quarterfinals, Alex de Minaur suffered a heart-wrenching defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime, falling 4-6, 7-6(9-7), 7-5, 7-6(7-4) on September 3, 2025, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, marking his sixth loss in six Grand Slam quarterfinals. British tennis legend Tim Henman, providing commentary for *Eurosport*, pinpointed de Minaur’s serving struggles as the critical factor in his collapse, describing it as a performance that “unraveled” due to an uncharacteristically low first-serve percentage. De Minaur’s first serve landed at just 44%, with 11 double faults, including two in the decisive fourth-set tiebreaker, which Henman called “a killer” in such a tight match. “His serve let him down badly,” Henman noted, emphasizing that de Minaur’s usual reliability deserted him under pressure against Auger-Aliassime’s clutch play.
Henman highlighted specific moments where de Minaur’s game faltered. Despite taking the first set 6-4 with his trademark speed and defensive tenacity, de Minaur squandered a set point in the second set’s tiebreaker, where Auger-Aliassime’s 120 mph ace at 6-5 shifted momentum. In the third set, de Minaur broke back to level at 5-5 but couldn’t hold serve, allowing Auger-Aliassime to edge ahead 7-5. The fourth set saw de Minaur surge to a 5-2 lead, only to lose his way, as Henman observed, “He tightened up, and the errors crept in.” The final tiebreaker was a nervy affair, with five of the first six points going against serve, but Auger-Aliassime’s 22 aces and 64% first-serve percentage, per *Livemint*, proved decisive.
Henman also noted de Minaur’s mental and tactical struggles, particularly in failing to disrupt Auger-Aliassime’s rhythm, a strategy de Minaur had outlined pre-match to *Motorcyclesports.net*. “Alex needed to vary his play to counter Felix’s power, but he couldn’t execute consistently,” Henman said. Despite a dazzling tweener lob that electrified the crowd, de Minaur’s 93 unforced errors, combined with Auger-Aliassime’s, made it a “scrappy” match, as reported by *BBC Sport*. Henman sympathized with de Minaur’s ongoing quarterfinal curse, noting, “It’s tough to see him fall short again when he’s so close.”
De Minaur’s defeat, covered by *ABC News*, underscored his resilience but also his persistent hurdle against top players in majors. Henman praised his work ethic and team dynamics, referencing de Minaur’s sensitivity to his coaches’ family time, as mentioned in *Yahoo Sports*. Yet, the serving meltdown, which Jim Courier also called unprecedented for de Minaur, cost him a semifinal berth against Jannik Sinner or Lorenzo Musetti. As de Minaur eyes the 2026 Australian Open, addressing his serve under pressure will be crucial to breaking his Grand Slam barrier.
