Monte Carlo, Monaco, 11 April 2025 | Ian Chadband, AAP
Ruthless Alex de Minaur has humbled Bulgarian star Grigor Dimitrov 6-0 6-0 to feast on the first ‘double bagel’ of his professional career while powering into the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals.
The Australian was in merciless mood against the out-of-sorts veteran, taking only 44 minutes to hand the world No.18 one of his most comprehensives defeats on the Monte Carlo Country Club’s main arena, Court Rainier III, on Friday.
It was a statement performance from 26-year-old De Minaur, as he reached the third clay-court semifinal of his career and demonstrated that this is no longer a surface that befuddles him.
Asked if he realised he had achieved the first whitewash win of his pro career, De Minaur smiled: “I did know that – and I also know the only time I ever lost 6-0 6-0 myself was to Tommy Paul in the semifinals of the US Juniors. It’s pretty crazy.”
World No.10 De Minaur had expected a tough duel against the evergreen Dimitrov but after dominating the early stages, seemed to drain all the belief and confidence out of the 33-year-old.
The Australian never took his foot off the pedal as the Bulgarian coughed up 23 unforced errors.
After winning the first set 6-0 in just 23 minutes – the first time Dimitrov has failed to win a game in any stanza for nine years – De Minaur earned another break at the start of the second with a dazzling backhand lob that just continued the strangulation.
Getting only stronger and more aggressive as the one-sided affair progressed, De Minaur dropped only 15 out of the 63 points played to become the first Australian since John Alexander in 1979 to make the semifinals of the long-standing tournament.
He became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt at Hamburg in 2007 to reach a Masters 1000 claycourt semifinal as he chalked up a tour-leading 20th win of the season.
De Minaur next faces Lorenzo Musetti, an upset winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas, in the last-four.
Hopes of two Australians making the semis were dashed when Alexei Popyrin’s best tournament of the year ended with a 6-3 6-2 loss to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the earlier quarterfinal.
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