Alex de Minaur's alarming slump in form continued at the Italian Open, where the Australian world No. 8 suffered a frustrating 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 defeat to Italy's Matteo Arnaldi in the second round. The match, played at the Foro Italico in Rome, saw de Minaur lose his composure, smashing his racket into the clay after a costly error in the final set.
Another Early Exit
De Minaur, who had high hopes after a strong start to the season, has now lost three consecutive matches. This marks the first time in three years he has suffered first-match defeats in back-to-back tournaments. After being ousted by Rafael Jodar in Madrid, de Minaur was expected to rebound against world No. 106 Arnaldi, but instead, he faltered in a grueling contest lasting nearly three hours.
Match Highlights
De Minaur took the opening set 6-4 but struggled to maintain consistency. The second set went to a tiebreak, which Arnaldi won 7-5. In the deciding set, de Minaur broke back to level at 4-4, only to be broken to love in the next game. Frustrated by a netted forehand, he smashed his racket—an uncharacteristic display of anger. Rain began to fall in the final stages, adding to his irritation as he committed 37 unforced errors and shouted toward his coaching box.
Djokovic Also Falls
De Minaur's loss was not the biggest upset of the day. Novak Djokovic, returning from a two-month injury layoff, was defeated 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 by 20-year-old Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic. Djokovic, who had his shoulder taped, looked rusty and admitted his opponent played exceptionally well.
Australian Hopes
With de Minaur and Aleksandar Vukic (beaten by Tommy Paul) out, Alexei Popyrin remains the last Australian in the singles draw in Rome. De Minaur's clay-court struggles—four losses in his last five matches—raise concerns ahead of the French Open later this month.
