Alex de Minaur has helped dispel the gloom in the Australian tennis ranks with a virtuoso drought-busting victory on a rainy day at the French Open. Alex Michelsen, a teenage American tyro who had already beaten Australia’s No 1 on a hard court this year, found de Minaur a wholly different prospect on wet clay as he was given a lesson on the Roland Garros red stuff with a 6-1 6-0 6-2 trouncing. The 19-year-old Michelsen was left so battered and bamboozled, he ended up reduced to the sort of vintage teenage tantrum that John McEnroe would have been proud of, berating umpire Louis Boucharinc and screaming petulantly when a line call went against him in the final set.
Failed underarm serve on match point caps more Australian woe at French Open Read more De Minaur’s effort meant that after five defeats and a withdrawal on a calamitous first two days, Australian tennis could celebrate their first opening-round victory – and on this form, de Minaur looks well set to achieve his ambition of being the first Australian man into the second week at Roland Garros for 17 years. The win came before Brisbane wildcard Adam Walton, on his overseas slam debut, battled admirably at the end of the third set before also bowing out 6-2 6-4 7-5 to former French No 1 Arthur Rinderknech to become the sixth Australian casualty. As the rain spat on and off, de Minaur had to wait for five hours before he could finally get onto Simmone-Mathieu, the beautiful “garden” court set between four gree.
