Alex de Minaur will head off to Paris with thoughts of what might have been as his bid to arrive at the French Open with a maiden clay-court title under his belt crumbled in Hamburg.
The indomitable Australian had never had a better chance to land a title on the red stuff as he entered the Hamburg Open semis as comfortably the highest-ranked player left in the last-four, and then bossed Tommy Paul by a set and 3-0 on Friday.
But after a gruelling week's work for two of the fittest players on the circuit, it was the American who felt he'd "hung tough" to finish the strongest, fighting back for an exceptional 2-6 6-3 6-3 victory after a two-and-a-quarter hour dogfight.
It was a deflating end to an encouraging week's work for de Minaur, who could at least be content at having discovered some impressive form off the back of three-straight defeats.
But it was also a tiring week's slog on slow courts that didn't help his game, as he had to battle for eight hours and 41 minutes in four matches over five days at the German venue before flying off to France, where he'll only have limited preparation before his opening-round match at Roland Garros.
He would, though, have dearly loved the chance to play his first final on clay after three previous semi-final appearances, especially as his opponent in the final would have been Peruvian surprise packet lgnacio Buse, the world No.57 who defeated American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1 6-4 in the earlier last-four clash.
It looked on the cards until the indefatigable Paul, who had saved seven match points in an earlier round before beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry, again knuckled down when all looked lost as he trailed 3-0 in the second set.
The first American men's Hamburg finalist since Jimmy Connors in 1981 🤯@TommyPaul1 reels off 12 of the last 15 games to take down de Minaur 2-6 6-3 6-3!#bitpandahamburgopen pic.twitter.com/QpLnTIV8VX
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 22, 2026
The key game was the marathon fifth as de Minaur twice had game points on his own serve, only for Paul to keep nagging away and finally break him at the fourth time of asking.
From there, he never looked back, winning eight games in a row as de Minaur did, indeed, betray signs of a touch of weariness, even though he managed to save two match points and force the American world No.26 to serve out for the spoils.
Even Paul recognised he'd enjoyed a great escape. "I was in panic mode, down a set and 3-0," he admitted.
"I thought Alex was playing amazing tennis and I was just trying to find ways to win points. I feel like I stayed resilient, put balls in, made points longer and I started finding my forehand. I shifted it and started playing some really good tennis."
If there was any consolation for 'Demon', it was that his efforts have elevated him back from No.8 in the world to No.7 -- just a place below his career-best -- when Roland-Garros gets under way on Sunday.
"SIMPLY, SUPERB FROM SAMUEL" 😍
— LTA (@the_LTA) May 21, 2026
The moment Toby Samuel booked his spot in the @rolandgarros main draw for the very first time
🎥 @tntsports pic.twitter.com/eVSDNmMOtc
De Minaur also learned later that his first-round opponent in Paris as eighth seed will be Toby Samuel, a British grand slam debutant who's already made a name for himself there this week by knocking out David Goffin in qualifying, thus ending the popular Belgian veteran's Roland Garros career.
The Aussie won't be taking anything for granted as 23-year-old Samuel's rise has been nothing short of spectacular, having risen 1,786 places to 159 in the current rankings since the end of 2024. In the past year alone, he's won 67 of his 80 matches.
