Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur has commenced his 2026 campaign with a challenging start, succumbing to a straight-sets defeat against Norway’s Casper Ruud at the United Cup in Sydney. The world No. 7, playing before a fervent home crowd at Ken Rosewall Arena, fell 6-3, 6-3 in a match dominated by his opponent’s formidable serving and his own uncharacteristic errors.
De Minaur’s performance was notably hampered by a significant serving struggle, accumulating eight double faults throughout the contest. Five of these occurred within his initial two service games, immediately placing him on the defensive. Ruud, currently ranked world No. 12, capitalized ruthlessly on these opportunities, consistently delivering powerful first serves to extinguish any potential break points from the Australian.
In his post-match analysis, de Minaur adopted a pragmatic perspective, attributing the loss primarily to Ruud’s superior execution. “I think Casper played a really good match today from the beginning to the end,” he stated. “I had some chances with break points, but he served really well throughout the whole match and didn’t really give me too many chances or opportunities. It was a well-deserved win for him.”
The Australian reflected on his serving difficulties, acknowledging the anomaly of such a performance. “It’s not really part of my DNA to throw in so many double faults,” de Minaur remarked, suggesting that adjusting to the heavier night conditions played a role. Despite the setback just two weeks before the Australian Open, the athlete remains unconcerned, drawing confidence from past seasons where early losses were followed by swift recoveries. He emphasized a forward-looking attitude, concluding, “The points didn’t go my side today, but we move on and look forward to the next match.”