New York, USA, 1 September 2022 | Matt Trollope

Prior to his US Open second-round match against Chile’s Cristian Garin, Alex de Minaur said he hoped he could “get some revenge” against the player who ended his Wimbledon campaign.

Two months ago, De Minaur led Garin by two sets to love, and earned match points, before bowing out in five – a result that also prevented an all-Aussie quarterfinal between De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios.

This time around, in New York, there was to be no repeat of that Wimbledon result – although there was a moment when those memories must have come flooding back.

Leading 6-3 6-0 4-2, De Minaur allowed Garin back into the match, spraying a succession of errors to hand Garin a fourth consecutive game, and the third set.

Yet he immediately, and admirably, refocused.

De Minaur broke Garin’s serve in the opening game of the fourth set and went on to build an insurmountable 5-1 lead.

Overall, De Minaur played focused, purposeful and aggressive tennis, becoming the first man into the last 32 thanks to a 6-3 6-0 4-6 6-2 triumph.

“I’m probably the happiest with how I was mentally. That, for me, was very important coming into the match and how I dealt with the circumstances,” De Minaur said.

“Yeah, 100 per cent (there were some anxious moments after losing that third set). That’s what I’m so proud of, that I was able to bounce back and not let it affect me.

“I easily could have started thinking about what happened in Wimby, being two sets to love up and kind of letting that one escape away from me. But I kind of knuckled down, stuck to my weapons and my tactics and what I wanted to do.

“I was able to go on top on the third and play some great tennis to finish it off.”

Back in the top 20 and seeded No.18 at Flushing Meadows, De Minaur next faces Montreal Masters champion Pablo Carreno Busta, after the two-time US Open semifinalist beat Alexander Bublik.

De Minaur was dominant on return throughout the match, consistently creating opportunities until the dam wall broke.

He missed break-point chances in the second and sixth games but converted in the eighth, taking a 5-3 lead before serving out the set following two positive, aggressive points.

Taking the ball early, deploying sharp angles, covering the court speedily and venturing forward when the opportunity presented, De Minaur overwhelmed Garin in a second-set shutout.

And he continued his dominance in the third.

When Garin trailed 3-1, his unforced error tally was almost double that of his winners. And by the end of the fifth game, De Minaur had earned a total of 14 break points – converting five – while Garin had not managed a single one.

De Minaur soon moved ahead 4-2, before the match changed.

Garin stopped missing, and began landing more blows with his powerful groundstrokes, buoyed by the vocal Court 5 crowd as he reeled De Minaur in.

The Australian then played his worst game of the match in the 10th game; on successive points he shanked an overhead, sprayed a forehand and then double-faulted, handing Garin a set point – which the Chilean converted.

But the momentum swing was short-lived.

De Minaur swept through five of the next six games to put the result almost beyond doubt, and ensured his progression with a confident service hold to close out the match.

“I think any time you lose a match from two sets to love up and having so many chances and opportunities, I wouldn’t say it’s something that tactically you’ve got to change. I think the only thing you’ve got to look at is mental,” De Minaur said, reflecting on the Wimbledon defeat.

“If you’re good enough to be two sets to love up and chances to finish it off, then you’re good enough to kind of finish it off.

“So for me the biggest change was mentally I was prepared for anything. I tried to stay as calm as I could.

“When things didn’t go my way in the third set, I just regrouped and went at it again for the fourth set.”

Aussies in action – US Open

TODAY’S RESULTS
Men’s singles, first round
Jason Kubler (AUS) d Mikael Ymer (SWE) 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-4

Men’s singles, second round
[18] Alex de Minaur (AUS) d Cristian Garin (CHI) 6-3 6-0 4-6 6-2
[23] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) d Benjamin Bonzi (FRA) 7-6(3) 6-4 4-6 6-4
[Q] Daniel Elahi Galan (COL) d Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-3 2-6 3-6 6-4 6-3

Women’s singles, second round
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) d Evgeniya Rodina 1-6 6-2 7-5

> READ: Aussies enjoy winning starts in US Open doubles

COMING UP
Men’s singles, second round
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v [14] Diego Schwartzman (ARG)
James Duckworth (AUS) v [20] Dan Evans (GBR)
Jason Kubler (AUS) v [22] Frances Tiafoe (USA)

Men’s singles, third round
[18] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [12] Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
[23] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) v [WC] J.J. Wolf (USA)

> VIEW: US Open 2022 men’s singles draw

Women’s singles, third round
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v Serena Williams (USA)

> VIEW: US Open 2022 women’s singles draw

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