De Minaur recovers from a set down to edge Halys in Cincinnati

Alex de Minaur turned around a rough start in the Cincinnati round of 64, dropping the opening set 1-6 before beating Quentin Halys 6-3 7-6. The Australian was the steadier man behind his serve over the distance, landing 53.5% of first deliveries and winning 71.7% of those points, and crucially he held firm on the second ball, taking 65.0% of those points to Halys's 52.1%. The Frenchman struck nine aces to seven and won 78.8% of his first-serve points, but that second-serve gap told in the decider. De Minaur's six double faults never cost him the match, and he advanced after two hours of scrappy resistance.