HSBC Championships 2026: Top seed Alex de Minaur kicks off campaign with a win
• 2 minute read
Top seed Alex de Minaur navigated a tricky first-round clash with Gabriel Diallo to book his place in the second round at The Queen’s Club.
The world No.6 dug deep to come out with a straight sets win against the Canadian - eventually punching his ticket to the second round with a 7-6(8), 6-3 win in just over two hours on the Andy Murray Arena.
The Australian comes into the tournament in good form on the grass, having made the final at 's-Hertogenbosch - missing out on the title in three sets to Kamil Majchrzak.
The top seed now sets up a second round meeting with another Canadian in Denis Shapovalov after he came through a three set battle against British wild card Jack Pinnington Jones in the first round yesterday.
Despite a shaky opening performance, de Minaur will be hoping to replicate his 2023 final run at the club following back-to-back first round exits in the past two years.
“It was a pretty big challenge, by no means was it the most pretty match but I appreciate the support," de Minaur said. "Today was all about surviving and advancing and I’m hoping to play many more matches in front of you guys so thank you.
"I love it (the grass court season), it’s my favourite part of the year. It’s no secret, I actually love being here in the UK, love being here in London. I hope my tennis helps me out out here and I can win a lot of tennis matches this whole grass court sweep.”
“It’s been a great start to the grass court season for both of us" de Minaur added when asked about his fiancée Katie Boulter's semi-final run here last week.
"Lets just say she’s put the pressure on me to play well at Queen’s so I’m going to do my best, I’m going to try and stay here for a long time. We love a little bit of healthy competition!”
The top seed made a slow start, having to fight back from two breaks down early in the opening set to level proceedings.
Despite a shaky performance on serve - landing just 52% of first serves and winning just over half his points on serve (26/42) - de Minaur dug deep, producing his first love hold at 6-5 to keep himself in the set.
The Australian then showed his resilience in the tie-break, saving two set points before capitalising on errors from Diallo to edge ahead and seal the opener with an unreturned serve.
At 2-1 in the second, the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist came through a lengthy return game, coverting his fifth break point opportunity before consolidating to extend his advantage.
De Minaur showcased his trademark intensity that sees him chase down ball. His quality of movement, which refers to a player's ability to cover the court, recover quickly, and set up for shots, was particularly striking, registering at 92% - well above the tournament average of 72%.
From there, the 2023 finalist looked firmly in control. Diallo showed fight to fend off two match points on serve, but the result never looked in doubt as de Minaur sealed his place in the second round with another unreturned serve.
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