Alex de Minaur has become the first Australian through to the ATP Finals semi-finals in 21 years and ended his horrific recent run against top 10 players.
The Australian no.1 blitzed world no.6 Taylor Fritz in straight sets 7-6(3) 6-3 to reach the final four of the season-ending event in Turin - with Lleyton Hewitt the last Aussie to reach the same stage in 2004.
De Minaur overcame an 0-16 record against top 10 players dating back to French Open 2024 and had also lost all five of this previous matches at the ATP Finals.
He also needed Carlos Alcaraz to defeat Lorenzo Musetti to ensure his place in the ATP Finals semis, with the world no.1 winning in straight sets.
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De Minaur will now take on world no.2 Jannik Sinner in the last four, a player he has lost all 11 matches against in his career.
An unlikely victory for the Aussie will give him the opportunity to emulate the three Australians to win the ATP Finals - Lleyton Hewitt (2001, 2022) and John Newcombe (1975).
Despite history being within reach, De Minaur was focused on overcoming his losing streak against top players and spoke of his mindset to defeat Fritz.
“Couple days ago was one of the toughest days I’ve had in my career. I was in a very, very dark spot. I could tell you that I hated the sport,” De Minaur told reporters.
“Here we are two days later and I’m feeling great about myself. It’s incredible.”
De Minaur continued: “Regardless of the result today, I had made peace with myself. That was a big, big moment. I knew the way I wanted to play. I was going to commit to it from the first point to the last.
“I was okay with the result not going my way. I had made peace with that. I just wanted to play my way.”