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The third seed saved six set points in the second set before defeating fellow Australian James Duckworth 6-2, 7-6 to advance to the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

De Minaur led 3-1 in the second set and appeared on course for a straightforward victory before Duckworth raised his level. The 34 year-old earned three set points while leading 6-5, then held three more at 6/3 in the tie-break. But De Minaur erased all six opportunities, keeping his composure under pressure to close out the one-hour, 46-minute victory.

“In the first set everything was flowing, I was up a break, had a couple more chances to go up by a double break and all of a sudden it slips away,” De Minaur said. “And then all of a sudden momentum shifts… And we got into a battle. So. I am glad I was able to sneak through. There are a couple of things I need to tighten up on. But we live to fight another day.” 

The next test for De Minaur, the 2023 finalist, will be a third-round meeting with Cameron Norrie or Ignacio Buse.

In other action at the Masters 1000 event, Frances Tiafoe rallied past two-time quarter-finalist Marin Cilic 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours and 16 minutes to advance to the third round. The 28-year-old saved five of the six break points he faced.

The American, who lost his opening match in Washington last week, ensured no such thing would happen in Montreal, where he edged the Croatian to improve to 15-1 in opening-round matches this season. Tiafoe has now reached the third round at every Masters 1000 event he has contested in 2026.