Demon's lucky break in Paris with French Open walkover
Top Australian Alex de Minaur's hopes of a deep run at the French Open have been boosted following an unfortunate injury to his second-round opponent.
Alex de Minaur has been given an unexpected but welcome free pass into the last-32 of the French Open because of an injury to his dangerous second-round opponent.
The Australian No.1 will not be unhappy about being able to bypass the round in which he suffered a shock defeat to Alexander Bublik last year, after Belgium’s rising star Alexander Blockx had to withdraw on Monday with a right ankle sprain.
The 21-year-old Blockx, who’s shot up to No.37 in the world and reached the semi-final in Madrid last month while defeating Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route, had represented a serious hurdle with the pair scheduled to clash first up on Tuesday on Roland Garros’s second arena, Court Suzanne Lenglen
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.But the youngster was left crestfallen while practising on Monday when he turned his ankle in a training session.
It gives de Minaur a break from a potentially draining affair in the soaring temperatures against an opponent who gave him plenty of trouble when they met in the last-16 at Monte Carlo last month, with de Minaur prevailing 7-5 7-6 (7-4).
“He’s one of the young talents, playing some really good tennis,” de Minaur had noted about Blockx after his first-round win over Briton Toby Samuel.
“We had a battle in Monaco, and before that he beat some quality players. He backed it up week after week. He’s a big kid, big serve, big forehand, dangerous player.
“It’s going to be a battle in this heat, and my goal is going to be to make it physical, extend the rallies.”
Now, though, the walkover will provide a rest before a demanding third-round contest for ‘Demon’ on Thursday against either No.26 seed Jakub Mensik, another rising star from the Czech Republic, or the in-form Argentine Mariano Navone, a finalist in Geneva last week.
Two other Australian men will be in second-round action tomorrow, with the veteran James Duckworth taking on the latest Spanish teenage sensation, Rafael Jodar, and Thanasi Kokkinakis hoping to have recovered from his five-set opening win when he dukes it out with 34-year-old Spanish grinder Pablo Carreno Busta.
AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION ON DAY 4 AT THE FRENCH OPEN (number denotes seeding)
Men’s singles second round
James Duckworth v 27-Rafael Jodar (ESP)
Thanasi Kokkinakis v Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
