Fresh from earning one of the biggest wins of his career in the second round of the Barcelona Open, Alex de Minaur's campaign ended on a whimper just a round later.
The World No. 11 became the first Australian man to defeat 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal on clay. It was a historic milestone for de Minaur, who was proud but equally respectful towards the legendary Spaniard.
De Minaur was the fourth seed and one of the tournament favorites in Barcelona. But not many people foresaw a straight-sets defeat in his third-round match against French teenager Arthur Fils.
Having taken a 5-3 lead in the opening set, de Minaur fluffed his chance to serve for the set, losing four straight games to concede the set. It all went downhill for the higher-ranked Aussie, who was broken three times in a lopsided second set.
Defeat ends de Minaur's bid to reach a second straight quarterfinal on clay. He lost to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the last eight of the Monte-Carlo Masters this past week.
De Minaur wasn't just battling a tenacious and spirited opponent but a rapturous crowd mainly cheering for Fils. The Australian was photographed by those in the stands wielding his middle finger.
This was de Minaur's way of countering, presumably, the vocal French fans, who are notorious for creating a hostile atmosphere when supporting their own player.
Two crucial double faults at 5-5 cost De Minaur a tight first set, and he lashed out at the pro-Fils crowd at the start of the second set. One fan who shared interaction on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) alleged that de Minaur called them "disrespectful" and that they behaved like "football fans" inside a stadium.
Despite succumbing to defeat, De Minaur was gracious towards his opponent when they shook hands at the net. Fils proceeded to celebrate uncontrollably with his fans.
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