Alex de Minaur is a champion in Washington, exactly seven years on from his crushing loss in the 2018 final.
It marks the perfect start to the North American swing of the tour for the Australian, who will have grand ambitions as he heads to Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open.
After all, 2025 has not been kind to the 26-year-old, with this marking his very first title of the year. Combining this lack of silverware with regular underperformance at the Grand Slams, it has been far from the year of progression that he would have hoped for.
Fortunately, there’s still time to rectify the situation, and this is the perfect start to turn things around.
Katie Boulter, his fiancée and biggest supporter, will be more confident than anybody in Alex de Minaur’s chances of doing this.
Katie Boulter sends congratulatory messages to Alex de Minaur
The Brit’s relationship with De Minaur is truly heartwarming, with most tennis fans always enjoying seeing the two together.
Whether playing or supporting each other, it’s nice to see two players finding the time for one another in the midst of one of the most gruelling, time-consuming jobs there is.
And whilst Boulter could not be there in person to watch her soon-to-be husband lift the Washington Open trophy, she wasted no time in issuing a message of congratulations on Instagram.
She would write on her story: “No words, pure madness. The man that you are, the champion that you are. I’m in awe.”
This triumph will feel even sweeter given how De Minaur reacted to losing the Washington Open final in 2018; a perfect full-circle moment.
How has Alex de Minaur performed at the US Open in the past?
With this impressive start to the hard-court swing of the tour, naturally many will wonder how this might translate later in the summer when De Minaur returns to New York.
After all, moments like this are remarkable for players, but the ultimate goal will always remain Grand Slam success.
Fortunately, his return to form comes at the perfect time to succeed in what, historically, has been his best-performing major.
After all, having reached the quarter-final once in every other Grand Slam, he has accomplished this feat twice at the US Open.
He will take great confidence from Washington, and can hopefully build on that in Toronto and Cincinnati, particularly given he reached the final in the former Masters 1000 event as recently as 2023.
De Minaur could be heading to New York as a tangible threat to go all the way this year, should he maintain the form he has ignited in DC.
