De Minaur Takes Nottingham Challenger Title

Alex de Minaur (photo: Ben Hoskins/Getty Images for LTA)

NOTTINGHAM, June 17, 2018

#NextGenATP Australian Alex de Minaur collected his first ATP Challenger title with a 7-6(4), 7-5 victory over home-favourite Daniel Evans at the €127,000 Nature Valley Open in Nottingham.

The 19-year-old converted four of his seven break point chances in Sunday’s final to seal victory in just under two hours of play. De Minaur, who will move to No. 78 in the ATP rankings, grabbed the first set with a pin-point lob in the tie-break and outlasted the 2015 Davis Cup winner, becoming the youngest man to win a title on Nottingham’s grass since compatriot Nick Kyrgios in 2014.

The 2018 Fuzion 100 Surbiton Trophy runner-up, who lost his previous four ATP Challenger finals and the ATP 250 final in Sydney this year, said: “These two weeks have been memorable for me and I will never forget them. The difference between today and my other finals is that I managed to stay composed. I just got back onto what I needed to do. Playing on Centre Court is a pretty special atmosphere.”