De Minaur snaps losing streak in Hamburg
Alex De Minaur returned to winning ways after a three-set victory over Francisco Cerundolo in the Hamburg Open.
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The third seed in Germany came from behind to win 3-6 6-4 6-3 in two hours and nine minutes, ending a three-match losing streak dating back to 14 April in Barcelona.
Cerundolo poses a tough test on clay, highlighted by his clinical performance in the first set; since the start of 2023, he has the tied most wins on the surface (74) along with Alexander Zverev.
After winning a nervy second set, De Minaur was still far from his best in the third, losing two service games, but he broke Cerundolo's serve three times to progress into the last 16.
De Minaur let out a huge roar when clinching victory with his first match point, and the Australian believes he is heading back in the right direction.
"I鈥檝e missed that feeling, that鈥檚 for sure: Being able to celebrate after a tough win," De Minaur said.
"It was a great performance, staying in the points mentally. There were a couple points where I just stuck in and made the extra ball.
"I cut the unnecessary unforced errors, and it鈥檚 an important step in the right direction."
Ben Shelton, meanwhile, avoided a scare in Hamburg after defeating American compatriot Marcos Giron in three sets.
Second seed Shelton, who lost his previous two matches, won 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-3) and will face Daniel Altmaier in the next round.
Elsewhere, in Geneva, home favourite Stan Wawrinka progressed into the round of 16 with a 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-5) win over lucky loser Raul Brancaccio.
