Álex de Miñaur won his first title in just over a year on Sunday after beating American Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the Atlanta Open, an ATP 250 tournament that he had already won for the first time in 2019.
The Australian had not won a title since June 2021 on the Eastbourne lawn, but this year he had been collecting merits to return to the circle of champions, reaching the second week in two Grand Slams (Australia and Wimbledon) and playing in the semifinals on three different surfaces. , including this Saturday in Atlanta.
The wait for his sixth tour trophy is over for the 23-year-old right-hander, who climbs nine places to No. 21 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. “I would like to thank the crowd,” said de Minaur during the trophy ceremony. “You guys were amazing. I’m not a local, but you guys made me feel like one, so I really appreciate the support.”
Such support was crucial for Miñaur to come back from 0-1 in sets in the quarterfinals and semifinals. This Sunday in the championship game he was almost always leading the scoreboard. And all thanks to his effectiveness with the return, with which he took advantage of the four break points generated.
The only moment of crisis for the Australian was when he lost serve while trying to take a 2-0 lead. Brooksby recovered the break but was unable to build on the momentum. De Minaur broke again at 3-3 in the second set and in the final game of the match to claim his fifth hard court title on tour.
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This triumph also allows him to reach 32 in the season and become the eighth player with the most wins of the year. Six of the seven players with more games won than him have multiple titles, with the exception of the Italian Jannik Sinner, who this Sunday in Umag reached 35 wins to win his first tournament of the current course.
Brooksby, for his part, remains with a record of 0-3 in finals after falling in this instance in Newport 2021 and Dallas 2022. However, his campaign in Atlanta will allow him to return to the Top-40 of the ranking. “I am excited about the path I am taking into the future and look forward to what is to come,” said Brooksby.
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis win in doubles
Before this week, the last time a tournament ended with Australian champions in both singles and doubles was at the ATP 250 in Bogotá, in the 2014 edition, with Bernard Tomic winning in singles, and Guccione/Groth in doubles. The same has happened in Atlanta 2022.
Shortly after de Minaur prevailed in the singles final, his compatriots Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis did so in the doubles final, defeating fellow Australians Jason Kubler and John Peers 7-6(4), 7- 5. It is the second title of the year for this duo who also won the Australian Open.