Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked tennis player at world No. 10, has been handed a significant opportunity to qualify for the 2025 ATP Finals in Turin following a chaotic US Open. Despite a disappointing quarterfinal exit at Flushing Meadows, where he was defeated 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 by Britain’s Jack Draper, de Minaur’s prospects for the season-ending event have improved due to unexpected early losses by key rivals.
The 2025 US Open saw major upsets, with world No. 2 Novak Djokovic falling in the third round to Alexei Popyrin and world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz exiting in the second round to Botic van de Zandschulp. These results disrupted the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, which determines the top eight players for the ATP Finals. De Minaur, who was eighth in the race entering the US Open, capitalized on these developments with a strong showing at the Paris Masters, where he reached the quarterfinals by defeating Draper 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. This victory avenged his US Open loss and provisionally secured him the eighth qualifying spot for Turin, a feat no Australian has achieved since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
De Minaur’s 2025 season has been marked by consistency, with a 36-12 record, a title in Washington, D.C., and three consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances (Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open). Despite a hip injury that forced him to miss the Olympics and Montreal Masters, he has remained competitive. His Paris Masters performance, coupled with the US Open carnage, has positioned him well, but he faces pressure to maintain his form in tournaments like Belgrade, where he is the top seed.
De Minaur remains cautious, noting, “You can never say ‘job done’ in the middle of a tournament.” With players like Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Grigor Dimitrov close behind in the race, he must continue to accumulate points to secure his spot. The ATP Finals, set for November 2025 in Turin, represent a career milestone for the 26-year-old, who has never qualified for the prestigious event.
