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Alex de Minaur spoiled Rafael Nadal’s comeback week on Wednesday, when he defeated the Spaniard 7-5, 6-1 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The fourth seed produced brick wall consistency and displayed flashy quickness to freely guard the entire court throughout the one-hour, 52-minute match, improving to 2-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the 12-time Barcelona champion. De Minaur tested Nadal’s deep court position and fitness level with several drop shots that the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings was unable to chase down. After a highly contested first set, the Australian built upon his momentum, creating a double break lead. He did not drop a point behind his first delivery in the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
The World No. 11 in the PIF ATP Rankings took a 3-1 lead until Nadal increased his level and backhand intensity, slamming a winner off that wing to hold for 4-3 and win his third consecutive game.
Nadal squandered a break point at 4-3, which would have given him the opportunity to serve for the set. However, De Minaur remained aggressive on the court and won 13 of the final 16 points in the 67-minute first set.
After dropping the first game of the second set, the 25-year-old won six straight games to advance to the third round where he will face 16th seed Arthur Fils, who defeated German Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.
“When the draw came out, I probably wasn’t too keen on playing Rafa, but I turned my attitude around and looked at it like a huge opportunity and a once in a lifetime opportunity,” De Minaur said in a statement. “I’m ecstatic that I won.
“I can definitely claim that I was extremely fortunate not to have played Rafa on clay a few years ago. It would have been a very different outcome. After an incredible encounter, we go on. It’s been a fantastic year.”
