Perfect 10: Demon recovers from brink of defeat to win title
The Australian became a 10-time champion on the ATP Tour on Monday (AEST), recovering from 5-2 down in the final set of the Washington Open final to outlast childhood rival Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) in another performance packed with mental resilience.
De Minaur saved three separate championship points in a nerve-jangling, 14-minute service game at 4-5, including a defensive backhand lob that barely touched the sideline on the third of them.
He never trailed in the tie-break – but twice handed back mini-break leads – before sealing victory after three hours and two minutes of tense and absorbing tennis that owed to repeatedly brave shot-making in the toughest moments.
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De Minaur is now only one career title behind Australian greats Patrick Rafter and Mark Philippoussis. He is the fifth Australian to win in Washington, with Nick Kyrgios the most recent in 2019 and 2022.
'I don't know [how I did that]. It's something about this court. I did it in 2018 against [Andrey] Rublev, and honestly, I just kind of knew I could do it,' de Minaur said.
'I just backed myself and told myself to commit, no matter what, and if I lost this match, it was going to be on my terms, and today went my way. I've had a couple of brutal ones not go my way, so I'm glad this one [did].
'I'm very happy with where I am at the moment, [and] how I'm dealing with things on and off the court. I had the mindset that even if today didn't go my way, it was a very positive week, so I was proud of my efforts, no matter what, but, geez, it feels good to hold my 10th title.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
16 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
As it happened: Norris wins Hungarian GP while Piastri settles for second in dramatic final lap
Go to latest Norris beats Piastri by 0.698 seconds to win Hungarian GP in a nail-bitingly close finale By Hannah Kennelly In the dying seconds of the penultimate lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri lunged his McLaren towards his teammate Lando Norris near Turn 1 to regain the lead of the race. The Australian locked up and Norris – who miraculously kept his tyres alive on a one-stop strategy for 39 laps – powered through to win the race and beat his teammate by 0.698 seconds. Piastri pitted twice and finished second, with Mercedes driver George Russell completing the podium and a frustrated Charles Leclerc in fourth. The McLaren 1-2 finish marks the team's 200th grand prix victory and also narrows the margin between championship leader Piastri and Norris to just nine points. As exhausted but elated Norris claimed his ninth win and declared he 'was dead' in a post-race interview. 'I'm dead. It was tough, it was tough,' Norris said. 'We weren't really planning on the one-stop but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things' he said. 'The final stint, with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out.' A gracious Piastri congratulated his teammate and said McLaren had done a great job. 'I don't know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end but we can go through that after,' Piastri said when asked about the team's differing tyre strategies. It was a rocky start to the race for Norris, who started third but dropped to fifth after trying to pass his teammate on the opening lap. Piastri spent the first half of the race in pursuit of race-leader Charles Leclerc, however was initially unable to catch him. McLaren chose to pit Piastri in lap 19 in an attempt to undercut Leclerc , however Ferrari executed a two-second stop and Leclerc emerged in front of Piastri. Norris pitted on lap 31 and chose to stay out – taking the lead of the race when the others pitted for a second time. Suddenly, Norris was a contender for the crown and Piastri – thanks to the team's tyre strategy – found himself chasing Leclerc and Norris. Notoriously nicknamed 'Monaco without walls', The Hungaroring has limited overtaking spots and tight turns demanding flawless perfection for every driver at every corner. The circuit's scare overtaking opportunities meant Piastri had to wait for the perfect moment to attack the Ferrari. A frustrated Charles Leclerc was unable to convert his pole position into a podium and issued an ominous and ultimately prophetic plea to his team during the race, telling his race engineer 'we are going to lose this race'. Piastri finally managed to get within DRS range down the main straight and swooped past Leclerc. With less than 20 laps to go, the Australian began hunting his teammate for the lead, while McLaren reminded the pair to race cleanly. Piastri tried numerous times to overtake Norris, but his rival held firm and fast and managed to evade the Australian's lunges and deep-dive near turn 1. After the Belgian Grand Prix last week, Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle declared 'This race confirms, it's Piastri versus Norris for the world championship'. It's clear both Norris and Piastri know that too. During Lap 41 of the Hungarian Grand Prix race, Piastri's race engineer asked if he would prefer to try and undercut Leclerc or defend against Norris and therefore have a better tyre advantage. The Australian instantly chose Norris. An McLaren battle for the driver's championship is inevitable. But the mid-season break is now upon so, so we will need to wait and see. The next race will be the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31. Latest posts 1.44am Norris beats Piastri by 0.698 seconds to win Hungarian GP in a nail-bitingly close finale By Hannah Kennelly In the dying seconds of the penultimate lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri lunged his McLaren towards his teammate Lando Norris near Turn 1 to regain the lead of the race. The Australian locked up and Norris – who miraculously kept his tyres alive on a one-stop strategy for 39 laps – powered through to win the race and beat his teammate by 0.698 seconds. Piastri pitted twice and finished second, with Mercedes driver George Russell completing the podium and a frustrated Charles Leclerc in fourth. The McLaren 1-2 finish marks the team's 200th grand prix victory and also narrows the margin between championship leader Piastri and Norris to just nine points. As exhausted but elated Norris claimed his ninth win and declared he 'was dead' in a post-race interview. 'I'm dead. It was tough, it was tough,' Norris said. 'We weren't really planning on the one-stop but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things' he said. 'The final stint, with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out.' A gracious Piastri congratulated his teammate and said McLaren had done a great job. 'I don't know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end but we can go through that after,' Piastri said when asked about the team's differing tyre strategies. It was a rocky start to the race for Norris, who started third but dropped to fifth after trying to pass his teammate on the opening lap. Piastri spent the first half of the race in pursuit of race-leader Charles Leclerc, however was initially unable to catch him. McLaren chose to pit Piastri in lap 19 in an attempt to undercut Leclerc , however Ferrari executed a two-second stop and Leclerc emerged in front of Piastri. Norris pitted on lap 31 and chose to stay out – taking the lead of the race when the others pitted for a second time. Suddenly, Norris was a contender for the crown and Piastri – thanks to the team's tyre strategy – found himself chasing Leclerc and Norris. Notoriously nicknamed 'Monaco without walls', The Hungaroring has limited overtaking spots and tight turns demanding flawless perfection for every driver at every corner. The circuit's scare overtaking opportunities meant Piastri had to wait for the perfect moment to attack the Ferrari. A frustrated Charles Leclerc was unable to convert his pole position into a podium and issued an ominous and ultimately prophetic plea to his team during the race, telling his race engineer 'we are going to lose this race'. Piastri finally managed to get within DRS range down the main straight and swooped past Leclerc. With less than 20 laps to go, the Australian began hunting his teammate for the lead, while McLaren reminded the pair to race cleanly. Piastri tried numerous times to overtake Norris, but his rival held firm and fast and managed to evade the Australian's lunges and deep-dive near turn 1. After the Belgian Grand Prix last week, Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle declared 'This race confirms, it's Piastri versus Norris for the world championship'. It's clear both Norris and Piastri know that too. During Lap 41 of the Hungarian Grand Prix race, Piastri's race engineer asked if he would prefer to try and undercut Leclerc or defend against Norris and therefore have a better tyre advantage. The Australian instantly chose Norris. An McLaren battle for the driver's championship is inevitable. But the mid-season break is now upon so, so we will need to wait and see. The next race will be the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31.
AU Financial Review
33 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
Piastri suffers title blow in tense Hungarian finish
Budapest | Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on a one-stop strategy and slash the Australian's Formula One lead to nine points going into the August break. Norris completed 39 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres while Piastri stopped twice and closed a 12-second gap to just 0.6 at the finish, with a nail- biting chase to the chequered flag and a near-collision on the penultimate lap. Reuters
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Kyriacou involved in second Open hole-in-one drama
She may have finished seven shots behind the champion, Miyu Yamashita, but there has been no keeping Steph Kyriacou out of the action at the Women's British Open. On Friday, the 24-year-old from Sydney made the first hole-in-one of the championship on the eighth at Royal Porthcawl, in Wales. Then on Sunday, she unwittingly assisted with the second. England's Mimi Rhodes made a hole-in-one on the par-three fifth, but only because her tee shot glanced off playing partner Kyriacou's ball, which had left a couple of inches from the hole. Snooker-style, Rhodes' ball ended up in the cup. Her shot would certainly have rolled past had it not been for Kyriacou's golf ball being in the way. Kyriacou went first and nearly made her second ace until her ball rolled just left of the hole. Asked if she was the luckiest person in golf, Kyriacou replied: "I am. We actually just watched the video, and it hit my ball, and it went in. So I'm kind of claiming it, even though Mimi is probably not going to say that. "I had no clue she'd hit my ball. We just heard everyone shout." Besides setting some sort of record for holes in one, Kyriacou had a highly satisfactory final day, with five birdies in her 71. It left her four-under and with a share of eighth place. "I think I've learned a lot in majors," she said, "which I'll take into next year." Asked about probably being in the world top 10, and the top-ranked Australian, she said; "There's nothing wrong with friendly competition, but I haven't got the win just yet. So when I do that, I'll be a little bit more arrogant, I think." Yamashita won by two shots to claim the first major of her career after keeping England's Charley Hull and Japan's Minami Katsu at bay. Yamashita finished 11-under after she sank three birdies on the front nine and remained steady on the back nine, until a late stumble with her first bogey on the par-four 17th. Hull mounted a spirited challenge with five birdies that brought her to within one shot of Yamashita. However, back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th sealed her fate. Katsu also tied for second with a final-round score of 69. Australia's Minjee Lee finished with a level-par 72 to end two-under-par and with a share of 13th place. "I feel like that's probably the worst score I could have had today. I felt like I was going pretty well and then just kind of made a silly mistake on 14," she said. "It was one of those weeks where I was kind of in the middle, like I wasn't really amazing at one thing or another. I'm not complaining, but I would have liked to be in the top 10." Having won the KPMG Championship, her third major title, Lee said she is pleased with her year overall. "I think, from where I was at the beginning of the year, obviously winning KPMG and played Chevron and had a good finish at Evian and all right at US Open and all right here. So I feel like I've done pretty well. Maybe an 8.5." Earlier, the third Australian, Grace Kim, ended her British Open with a dispiriting 80 to slip to 12-over-par. Lydia Ko, New Zealand's defending champion, ended on three-over for a share of 36th place, alongside world No.1 Nelly Korda, among others. With agencies
