Alex de Minaur, the Australian No 1 and fifth seed, advanced to the third round of Wimbledon with a commanding 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory over French veteran Adrian Mannarino on Thursday. The match, played under sunny skies on Court 3, lasted one hour and 49 minutes.
Dominant start sets the tone
De Minaur won the first two sets in 38 minutes each, breaking Mannarino's serve twice in the opening set and three times in the second. His own serve proved vulnerable at times, as he was broken in each of the first two sets, with his second delivery particularly under pressure.
In the third set, de Minaur cleaned up his service game, though he faced a stern test at 2-2, surviving a lengthy game that featured five deuces. He then broke the 38-year-old Mannarino to take control, and never looked back, holding and breaking again to love to seal the match.
Improved performance from first round
De Minaur acknowledged the improvement from his first-round win over Roman Andres Burruchaga, describing his performance as having more intent and conviction. "I definitely think I started better, I had more intent, more conviction in what I needed to do," de Minaur said after the match. "I'm super stoked and super grateful to be playing some good tennis with some great weather here in London."
The Australian No 1 also expressed his affection for the tournament, stating, "I just love it here and I'm hoping I can stay here for a long time."
Next opponent and prospects
De Minaur's third-round opponent will be either Kamil Majchrzak of Poland or American Zach Svajda. Majchrzak surprisingly defeated de Minaur in the final at 's-Hertogenbosch recently, the Pole's first win in three meetings, while de Minaur has never faced Svajda.
With fellow Australians Maya Joint and James Duckworth also playing on Court 3, de Minaur enjoyed solid support from the stands. He will look to continue his progress as the tournament deepens, aiming to stay in London for as long as possible.
