Simply 24 hours after he had put veteran warrior Rafael Nadal to the sword, Alex de Minaur could have felt just a bit outdated himself as he was shot down by a brand new tennis sensation on the Barcelona Open.
The Australia No.1 was swept apart 7-5 6-2 in his last-16 tie by the flamboyant teenager Arthur Fils, who’s France’s nice new hope to interrupt their 41-year grand slam-winning drought within the males’s recreation.
It was additionally a chastening day on the crimson clay for Australia’s No.2 Jordan Thompson on the Actual Membership de Tenis Barcelona on Thursday as his bid to make the quarter-finals was ruthlessly ended by double French Open finalist Casper Ruud, who powered to 6-1 6-4 victory.
De Minaur had little time to savour his win over Nadal, which can have been the nice man’s farewell to certainly one of his favorite tournaments and the centre courtroom that is named in his honour, as he found once more how shortly the panorama adjustments in tennis.
At 25, the world no.11 de Minaur could also be coming into his prime as a participant however, within the prizefighter form of 19-year-old Fils, right here was proof that the following technology of tennis younger weapons is already available to torment him.
Fils is No.36 on the planet and rising quick.
After being the hunter on Pista Rafa Nadal, de Minaur discovered himself the quarry on Pista Andres Gimeno as Fils, who’d been 5-3 down within the opening set and was getting schooled by the Australian, burst into life to reel off seven video games on the bounce.
Getting somewhat overpowered, and discovering that the drops photographs that had proved an excessive amount of for Nadal have been getting punished by the blistering pace of Fils, it was solely de Minaur’s famed battling spirit that stored him within the match because the Frenchman’s military of followers at courtside loved all of it with noisy abandon.
At 5-1 down within the second after having misplaced 9 of the earlier 10 video games, de Minaur confirmed defiance to interrupt again after which save a match level, however Fils wouldn’t be denied as he wrapped up victory in an hour and 35 minutes to e book a quarter-final date with Serbian Dusan Lajovic.
Thompson struggled with blisters to his racquet hand early on as he tried vainly to deal with clear hitting of Norway’s Ruud, who raced right into a 5-0 lead earlier than the Aussie No.2 might get a grip.
The Sydneysider made extra of a combat of it within the second stanza, however Ruud broke him for the third time earlier than happening to his twenty sixth win of 2024, probably the most of any participant this season, one away from Jannik Sinner.
Australia’s hopes for the singles have been completed and dusted.
