Alex de Minaur, ranked No. 5 in the world, will start his title defense at the 2026 ATP 500 Washington Open by facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round on July 28 in Washington, D.
C.
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The Australian, who won the event last year, confronts a difficult challenge as Tsitsipas holds a dominant 12-1 head-to-head record against him.
Despite being ranked No. 51, Tsitsipas has regained form, recently winning the Gstaad title and defeating de Minaur in Miami 6-3, 7-6(3).
De Minaur is defending 450 ranking points at this event and risks dropping in the rankings if he loses early, potentially falling below players such as Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz, according to tennishead.
net.
Alex de Minaur said, "I'm definitely feeling a lot better. I'm feeling in a good place.
I feel like everything is kind of clicking."
He reflected on his recent Wimbledon loss, saying, "Like, I feel like a couple of years ago, I was definitely closer to that.
Now it just feels like I’m getting a little bit further away from those dreams."
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The Sydney native acknowledged the challenges of the Washington courts: "The ball is flying a fair bit. It’s quite quick, especially if you play during the day."
He emphasized the importance of mental toughness and serving, stating, "You’ve got to be okay knowing that it might not be your best stuff, but a lot will do being there mentally and competing every point and trying to find a way to do certain things the right way.
