Alex de Minaur left surprised after learning he qualified for ATP Finals again with win in Paris
Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked player and a breakout star of the 2025 ATP Tour, was left genuinely stunned on court after a dominant win at the Rolex Paris Masters sealed his return ticket to the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The 26-year-old No. 6 seed dismantled Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-2, 6-2 in just 68 minutes on October 30, advancing to the quarterfinals for the third straight year and clinching his spot among the world’s elite eight—his second consecutive appearance at the season-ending spectacle.
The Match That Unlocked the Dream
De Minaur was in cruise control against Khachanov, a former Paris champion and a tough opponent who’d beaten him in their last two meetings. Breaking serve four times while saving all three break points he faced, the Aussie fired 28 winners and converted 4 of 10 break opportunities, wrapping up his 55th win of a career-best season. It wasn’t just progression to face Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik next—avenging a heartbreaking five-set loss to him at Roland Garros earlier this year—but a massive points haul that catapulted him into the ATP Finals field.
Post-match, as the implications sank in, de Minaur’s reaction was pure, unfiltered joy mixed with disbelief. Speaking to the on-site interviewer, he admitted: “That’s actually confirmed? It is? Geez, that feels amazing.” He’d been “stressing” over the qualification race for weeks, especially after a hip niggle forced him to skip the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Hong Kong just a fortnight prior. “I’ve been trying not to think about it too much, just focus on the matches,” he added, clearly relieved to exhale after the pressure cooker of the Race to Turin.
Why This Feels Different: From Debut Heartbreak to Redemption Bid
Last year marked de Minaur’s Finals debut after an injury-plagued campaign, but it ended in frustration—three straight round-robin losses to Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton, and Holger Rune, leaving him winless in Turin. This time around? “100 percent it’s a different feeling,” he declared, buoyed by a stellar 2025 that’s included his 10th career title (a dramatic Washington DC 500 win, saving three match points in the final), a Rotterdam runner-up spot to Carlos Alcaraz, and deep runs in Monte Carlo, Beijing, and Vienna. He’s now the ATP’s hard-court win leader with 42 victories and notched his 300th tour-level win in Vienna last week.
De Minaur becomes just the second Australian to qualify back-to-back since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002-03, ending a 21-year drought for his country before last season. He’ll join a star-studded field: Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev, Djokovic, Shelton, Fritz, and one more—likely Lorenzo Musetti or Felix Auger-Aliassime, with the Canadian 290 points adrift but alive in Paris quarters.
What’s Next: Bublik Revenge and Turin Glory?
Up first: a quarterfinal clash with the unpredictable Bublik on Friday, where de Minaur seeks payback for that clay-court marathon in May. A win could propel him toward a first Masters 1000 title and inch him closer to a top-5 breakthrough. But the real fireworks? Turin from November 9-16, where the Aussie vows not to “just make up the numbers” this time.
De Minaur’s surprise moment has already gone viral, with fans dubbing it “the best on-court reaction since Delpo’s US Open tears.” In a season of milestones, this one’s got him grinning ear-to-ear—proof that sometimes, the best surprises come after the grind. Can he finally crack the Turin code? The oche… er, court… awaits.
