LONDON : Top seed Alex de Minaur crashed out of the Queen’s Club Championships on Friday after a straight-sets quarter-final defeat by American Brandon Nakashima.
The Australian world number six, widely regarded as one of the strongest grass-court players on the ATP Tour, was outplayed by the aggressive Nakashima, who secured a 7-5 6-3 victory to advance to the semi-finals.
In a closely contested opening set dominated by serve, Nakashima, ranked 32nd in the world, seized his first break-point opportunity of the match in the 12th game to take the set.
De Minaur had a chance to respond early in the second set but failed to convert a break point at 1-1 on Nakashima’s serve.
The Australian’s resistance was finally broken when he dropped serve at 3-4, handing Nakashima the decisive advantage on a sweltering afternoon on Andy Murray Arena.
Nakashima remained composed as he served out the match, sealing his first victory over a top-10 opponent in two years and ending De Minaur’s hopes of capturing the prestigious grass-court title.
The win sends the American into the last four as he continues his preparations for Wimbledon in impressive fashion.
