Australia’s Alex de Minaur battled through grueling conditions to defeat Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on Sunday, extending his winning streak to seven matches and advancing to the quarter-finals of the ATP Toronto Masters. The victory comes just days after the ninth seed claimed the Washington title, highlighting his resilience amid a packed schedule.
De Minaur didn’t hide his frustration with the ATP’s new 12-day Masters format, which saw Toronto’s tournament begin over the weekend while Cincinnati’s event starts this week—culminating in an unorthodox Thursday final in Canada. The Australian admitted that an unexpected three-day break due to a third-round walkover disrupted his rhythm. “I didn’t enjoy having so much time. The body is used to going and going,” he said after the two-hour, 24-minute battle. “I had to tell myself I was still competing.”
Despite Tiafoe’s 50 unforced errors, the match was far from straightforward. De Minaur weathered a serving slump in the second set and tricky windy conditions to clinch his seventh quarter-final of the season. “It was never gonna be easy—he’s got the ability to switch it on whenever he wants,” said the 24-year-old, who now leads their head-to-head 3-1. He next faces the winner between Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli.
Meanwhile, sixth seed Andrey Rublev survived a marathon against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, winning 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 3-0 after the Spaniard retired due to apparent cramping. Rublev, last year’s Montreal runner-up, acknowledged his own struggles after squandering opportunities in the opener. “I got frustrated, but in the tiebreak, anything can happen,” said the Russian, who will meet Jiri Lehecka or Taylor Fritz next. Davidovich Fokina’s exit followed his heartbreaking Washington final loss, where he wasted three match points. “I’ve had enough tennis for today,” Rublev quipped post-match.
As the tournament’s condensed schedule draws criticism, De Minaur and Rublev’s gritty wins underscore the physical and mental toll of the ATP’s calendar experiment.
