Alex de Minaur has become the first tennis player under the age of 26 to reach achievement on the ATP Tour
Alex de Minaur Reaches New Milestone with Opening Win at Qatar Open
Alex de Minaur has kicked off his Qatar Open campaign in style, marking another impressive milestone in his career.
The Australian No.1 has enjoyed a strong start to the 2025 season, reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals before making a deep run to the Rotterdam Open final, where he fell to Carlos Alcaraz. Now, he’s in Doha chasing his first title of the year, and his opening match showcased why he remains one of the most consistent players on tour.
De Minaur Hits 200-Win Milestone on Hard Courts
Facing Roman Safiullin in the first round, de Minaur dominated the opening set, handling his opponent’s aggressive baseline play with ease while capitalizing on multiple unforced errors.
The second set proved trickier, as the World No. 8 served for the match at 5-4, only for Safiullin to break back and level things at 5-5. However, de Minaur responded immediately, breaking again before successfully serving out a 6-1, 7-5 victory.
This win was particularly special—it marked his 200th career win on hard courts, making him the first player born in 1999 or later to reach this milestone. He also joins Australian tennis legends Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt as only the third Aussie to achieve this feat.
De Minaur Reflects on Challenging Conditions
The victory against Safiullin also marked de Minaur’s 12th win of the 2025 season, reinforcing his strong form. Up next, he faces Botic van de Zandschulp in the next round.
Speaking after his win, de Minaur reflected on the difficult conditions:
“These are tough days,” he admitted. “It’s cold, it’s windy—you probably don’t even want to get out of bed. But once you step on court, you have to do whatever it takes to win.”
Acknowledging the unpredictable weather, he added:
“The wind made it difficult to feel comfortable out there. Any tactics I had went out the window—it was all about surviving more than anything. Whether it’s ugly or pretty tennis, you just put the ball in the court, and that’s what I did today.”
With momentum on his side, de Minaur is looking to continue his strong start to 2025 as he pushes for a maiden ATP 500 title this season.
