Alex de Minaur shook off a nervy start to beat Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga in straight sets at Wimbledon on Tuesday, winning 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 6-0. His calm after the early jitters set up a second-round match with Adrian Mannarino.
Alex de Minaur walked onto court 3 and you could feel the pressure in the first moments—enough to make his start feel unsettled, even as Wimbledon’s lights kept burning. It was an hour-long opening set that tested him, stretching to a tie-break before nerves finally loosened.
He then found his rhythm and blew the match open, sealing victory over Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga in straight sets on Tuesday: 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 6-0. De Minaur won 12 games out of 13 after that first set tie-break, wrapping up the final two sets in 52 minutes.
“A little bit of a nervy start,” the fifth seed said. “Never easy starting an incredible tournament like Wimbledon, but as the match went on, I played better and better. “I love being here. I really want to do well here. It’s about getting started and I’m glad I got through that. I’m super-stoked to be in the next round.”.
He added: “I love the grass. I love these courts. I am at my most dangerous when I am aggressive and it’s up to me to be aggressive and try and dictate. Next time, hopefully I can do that from the start.”
There was a strange emotional undertow surrounding his match. De Minaur came on to court 3 after his fiancée, British No 2 Katie Boulter, had slumped to a shock defeat to an Italian qualifier. On court, it looked like he inherited the disappointment—then turned it into focus.
The early signs weren’t kind. Burruchaga broke him and De Minaur quickly found himself 3-0 down against an opponent who played like the match belonged to him. Burruchaga’s game didn’t fit the easy storyline people expect from a clay-court baseliner. He stayed solid, pressed forward, and kept De Minaur uncomfortable.
For Burruchaga, the day carried history as well. It was 40 years and a day since his father, Jorge, scored the winning goal in the 1986 World Cup final—a 3-2 victory for Argentina over West Germany—and on his Wimbledon main draw debut, the son seemed to draw inspiration from that legacy.
De Minaur scraped his way back to the tie-break, helped along by a lucky net cord and Burruchaga double-faulting at 4-4. He won it, and that release mattered. With the tie-break in his pocket, the Australian seized control and surged to the kind of finish that turns a tight opener into a statement.
The win booked him a second-round date with Adrian Mannarino, a French left-hander who is idiosyncratic enough to frustrate opponents. Mannarino is ranked 40, and De Minaur holds a 5-1 win record against him.
For Australian tennis, Tuesday’s momentum wasn’t uniform. De Minaur was the first Australian men’s winner after an opening day in which Aleksandar Vukic and Adam Walton went out.
Rinky Hijikata had come close to turning his own match into a comeback story. He had been one set all and 5-3 up in the third against Dutchman Jesper de Jong. but dew and poor light forced a suspension on Monday night. When play resumed Tuesday, Hijikata was broken soon after—then broke back to take the third set 7-5. But he lost the next two sets 6-4 6-3, ending in a bleak defeat.
There was heartbreak for Thanasi Kokkinakis too. He twice led 10th seed Alexandre Bublik only to fade away, losing 4-6 6-3 7-6 (12-10) 6-3 6-4. When Kokkinakis won a gripping 22-point third set tie-break, it looked like a turning point. In the final hour of a 3h39min duel, though, Bublik proved too consistent.
On the women’s side, Daria Kasatkina was Australia’s lone first day victor, and she will be joined in the women’s second round by Kim Birrell. Birrell defeated Russian qualifier Alina Korneeva 6-3 0-6 6-2.
But Talia Gibson’s day ended in disappointment. After a torrid opening set, she fought back to level against 21st-seed Marie Bouzkova, only for Bouzkova’s quality to show in the third. Gibson went down 6-1 3-6 6-2.
Wimbledon Alex de Minaur Roman Andres Burruchaga Adrian Mannarino Katie Boulter Thanasi Kokkinakis Alexandre Bublik Rinky Hijikata Jesper de Jong Kim Birrell Alina Korneeva Daria Kasatkina
Wimbledon lights kept burning?? lol what
So he won 6-0 and 6-1 after messing up the start… classic tennis momentum thing. But why did his fiancée losing make his match “emotional” like that? Feels exaggerated.
I don’t get the “inherited disappointment” part. Like players can just catch someone else’s vibes? If he’s the 5th seed he should’ve been locked in from ball 1. Also 12 games outta 13 after the tie-break?? sounds made up.
Katie Boulter lost earlier and now he’s doing good, so Wimbledon is basically a chain reaction? Next round vs Mannarino… I’m guessing that’ll be another easy win because grass = instant power or whatever. Wimbledon already feels rigged sometimes anyway.