By Trevor Stynes
TURIN, Italy (Reuters) -Two days ago Alex de Minaur was in a dark place after letting victory over Lorenzo Musetti slip from his grasp, but a win over Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals on
Thursday has the Australian feeling on top of the world, and into the semi-finals.
On Tuesday, De Minaur held a 5-3 lead in the deciding set against Musetti, but the Italian made an incredible comeback in Turin by winning four consecutive games, and having already lost to Carlos Alcaraz, the Australian looked down and out.
Fast forward to Thursday, and De Minaur was full of energy in a 7-6(3) 6-3 win over last year's losing finalist Fritz, outplaying the American with boundless enthusiasm and restoring his love for the sport.
"A couple of days ago was one of the toughest days I've had in my career," De Minaur said.
"I was in a very, very dark spot. I could tell you that I hated the sport. Here we are two days later and I'm feeling great about myself. It's incredible."
DEMON AT PEACE
De Minaur managed to put the Musetti defeat to one side and came out against Fritz determined to play his way.
"More than anything, regardless of the result today, I had made peace with myself," he said.
"That was a big, big moment. I knew the way I wanted to play. I was going to commit to it from the first point to the last. I was okay with the result not going my way."
De Minaur broke to lead 3-1 in the first set, and while Fritz rallied to force a tiebreak, the Australian dominated it, racing into a 4-1 lead with two mini-breaks. He began the second set in a similar vein where he broke to love and went 3-0 up.
This time, there was to be no collapse, although at 5-3 up and serving for the match, De Minaur lost the opening two points, and for a moment may have had that sinking feeling again.
Unlike against Musetti, the Australian kept his composure, smashing an ace to make it 15-30, and finished off the job.
"After the match point, I just started laughing with my team because I was, like, there's something up there that's against me," De Minaur said.
"It took some of my best tennis today. I hit an incredible ace. Then 15-30, I served and volleyed. I just had the ultimate aggressive mindset.
"Even from the toughest moments, where I could have easily gone back into default and tried to play solid and kind of play not to lose, I played to win."
De Minaur advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face Jannik Sinner, after Alcaraz defeated Musetti, a permutation the Australian was unaware of until after his match.
"Going in I had no idea. I got told on the court the situation. I still don't believe it," he said.
"I made peace with myself. I'm proud of my efforts today. Whatever happens tonight will happen."
(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Christian Radnedge)
