Alex de Minaur was a man on a mission on Friday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he delivered a statement performance to reach the semi-finals.
The 26-year-old Australian eased past Grigor Dimitrov 6-0, 6-0 in just 44 minutes to reach the last four at a clay-court ATP Tour event for the third time in his career. It was the first double bagel served up at the quarter-final stage or later on the ATP Tour since 2013, when Roger Federer blanked Mischa Zverev in the Halle quarter-finals.
De Minaur will next continue his quest for a maiden clay-court trophy against three-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas or Lorenzo Musetti.
“With the troubles I had on this surface at the start of my career, I didn’t quite understand it and how to play well on it,” De Minaur said of his improvements on clay. “As the years have gone by, I have grown to understand the things I can do well to become a tough opponent on this surface. I’m very happy that I am playing better and better every year.
“It’s not about hitting hard, powerful shots [on clay]. It’s about opening up the court, using angles, height, and different speeds. Understanding the balance between being too aggressive and too passive.”
With his 20th victory of the season, De Minaur extended his lead for the most wins on the ATP Tour in 2025. The No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings now owns a 20-6 record this year, and his nearest contenders are Carlos Alcaraz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who each recorded their 18th triumph on Friday to set a semi-final clash in Monte-Carlo.
De Minaur’s convincing win, which improves him to 4-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Dimitrov, comes on the heels of dominant 6-2, 6-2 performance against ninth seed Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals.
While Dimitrov struggled to find his range and often lacked intensity, De Minaur took complete advantage with relentless hitting from the baseline, committing just six unforced errors in a 23-minute opening set. The pattern continued in the second, during which the Australian landed an inch-perfect lob to break serve in the first game and motored across the line.