De Minaur's Struggles Continue at Italian Open
Australian tennis player Alex de Minaur experienced another disappointing early exit on clay as his form slump persisted at the Italian Open. The world No 8 was defeated 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 by Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the second round on Friday morning at the Foro Italico in Rome.
De Minaur’s loss marked his third consecutive defeat and his first instance in three years of back-to-back first-round exits in tournaments. The home crowd enthusiastically supported Arnaldi, ranked world No 106, who overcame the higher-ranked Australian in a match lasting nearly three hours.
Following his recent loss at the Madrid Masters, de Minaur had been anticipated to advance past Arnaldi and potentially face the Spanish teen star for a rematch in the last 32. However, despite winning the opening set, de Minaur faltered in the final stages of a tightly contested match.
After leveling the third set at 4-4, de Minaur was broken to love. Frustrated by a game-losing forehand, he smashed his racquet into the clay in an uncharacteristic display of anger. The onset of rain during the match’s conclusion appeared to compound his frustration, as he struggled with inconsistency and committed 37 unforced errors. At times, he expressed his irritation vocally towards his coaching box.
De Minaur’s recent record on clay is concerning, having lost four of his last five matches on the surface, a troubling sign as he prepares for the French Open later this month.
Djokovic’s Return Ends in Upset
Despite de Minaur’s disappointing result, the biggest surprise of the day came from Novak Djokovic. Returning after a two-month hiatus due to a right shoulder injury, the 38-year-old Serbian was upset by 20-year-old Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic, ranked world No 79.
Prizmic, who is 18 years younger than Djokovic, secured victory with an ace on his first match point. After the match, he stated:
“He’s my idol – I just played unbelievably today.”
Djokovic, who had not competed since his loss to Jack Draper in the fourth round at Indian Wells in March, appeared limited by his taped shoulder and was not at his usual sharpness.
Australian Contenders in Rome
With de Minaur’s exit, Alexei Popyrin remains the sole Australian competitor in the singles draw at the Italian Open. Fellow Australian Aleksandar Vukic was defeated 6-4, 6-2 by American 16th seed Tommy Paul, ending his run in the tournament.
