De Minaur outlasts Mensik to make Vienna semi-finals

Alex de Minaur has come from behind to defeat Jakub Mensik in the quarter-finals of the Vienna Open on Friday, strengthening his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin next month.

The 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 victory puts de Minaur – who has been struggling with a hip injury the last three months – through to his first semi-final since June, when he won the title in Hertogenbosch.

He had to work hard for his spot in the Vienna final four though, with Mensik crushing 48 winners over the course of the two-hour, 35-minute clash.

The Czech had already overcome one Aussie in Vienna, defeating Alexei Popyrin in the round of 32 en route to the last eight in a run that ensured he would crack the world’s top 50 for the first time on Monday.

However, Mensik’s 66 unforced errors were his undoing on Friday, with de Minaur breaking the 19-year-old once each in the second and third sets despite the qualifier landing 16 aces over the match.

De Minaur improves to 3,555 points in the Race to Turin, and now has an opportunity to overtake Andrey Rublev, who sits on 3,720 points in eighth place.

Over in the week’s other ATP 500 tournament, the Swiss Indoors Basel, Rublev lost in the quarter-finals to Ben Shelton, falling 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 to the American.

Should de Minaur win the title in Vienna, he will bunny-hop both Rublev and the seventh-placed Casper Ruud, who lost earlier in the week as well.

Tennis betting sites have de Minaur in the second line of betting to win the Vienna Open title.

The Aussie is paying $3.25 at BetOnline, behind the in-form Jack Draper ($2.37) but ahead of former No.8 Karen Khachanov ($4.33) and Italian Lorenzo Musetti ($6.50).

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