ALEX de Minaur continued his strong form by defeating Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals of the ATP Toronto Masters. The Australian, fresh off his Washington title win, extended his winning streak to seven matches in a gruelling encounter lasting just under two and a half hours.
De Minaur, the ninth seed, will next face the winner of the match between Italian Flavio Cobolli and American fourth seed Ben Shelton. Despite the victory, the Australian voiced concerns over the new 12-day Masters schedule, which has disrupted player routines. “I didn’t enjoy having so much time off. The body is used to going and going,“ he said.
The match saw nearly 50 unforced errors from Tiafoe, with De Minaur overcoming a mid-match slump in the second set. “It was never gonna be easy. He’s got the ability to switch it on whenever he wants,“ De Minaur admitted. “I was just happy to sneak away with this win.”
Meanwhile, sixth seed Andrey Rublev secured his 14th Masters quarter-final after Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired at 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 3-0 due to possible cramping. Rublev, last year’s runner-up in Montreal, will face either Jiri Lehecka or Taylor Fritz next. – AFP