The fifth seed week said as much. On Saturday he defeated Alexander Zverev 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4)his first win after eight defeats against German outsiders on the eve of Zverev becoming world No.1. It made him the first Australian to reach the final in the tournament’s history and brought him his 21st ATP 500 win of the season. Only three men have reached that mark in a single season since the streak began in 2009.
The run also moved him above Rafael Jodar to No.9 Race to Turin. It was his third semi-final in Vienna.
De Minaur is back to her best form after the toughest six months of her career
The way back, he said, was through team events. “It took a couple of team events to get me going again, the Davis Cup, followed by the Lever Cup, and then I was able to get my mojo back,” de Minaur said. “I thought I played great tennis in Beijing and then in Shanghai I managed to do pretty well considering my limitations. I’ve had a lot of things happen off the court, but I was still able to come out here, play a great event, ultimately make the finals and have another good week to end the year.”
The final was a second chance against the same opponent. De Minaur also lost to Alcaraz in the 2025 Rotterdam final 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 and he said the Spaniard was a different player in Vienna. “They’re both indoor events, but they’re still different conditions, and that plays a bit of a role,” he said. “I think it’s a lot harder to rush him. In these conditions, he is able to absorb the tempo very well and still be able to redirect his shots.”
He had his chances early, too. “I had my start. game points, break points, game points in the first two games and they didn’t go my way,” he said. “And then all of a sudden he got really loose and played, I thought, sensational tennis. I think he hit the line really well today and made it pretty tough. I could have been a bit sharper at times, but I thought he played at a much higher level than he did in Rotterdam.”
He is now 7-0 against Alcaraz against them. When asked if he hopes to go one step further in Vienna next year, he pointed to the title he won. Rotterdam in February. “If I could do the same thing I did in Rotterdam, that would be great,” he said. “I would like to do a little bit more today, but overall I think it’s a positive week.”
De Minaur’s path to the final
- First stage: d. Tomas Machak 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Second stage: d. Study Tien 6-4, 6-2
- Quarter finals: d. Matteo Berettini 7-6 (4), 6-2
- Semi-final: d. Alexander Zverev (1) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4)
- Final: lost to Carlos Alcaraz (2) 6-1, 6-4
