Libema Open Final 2024: Alex de Minaur races to second title of 2024; defeats Sebastian Korda to set career-high ranking

Tennis star Alex de Minaur won the second title of the season on Sunday at the Libema Open, 6-2, 6-4, battling off an exhausting assault by great player Sebastian Korda. Notably, De Minaur will climb up to world No. 7 in the rankings next week. His semifinal win over Ugo Humbert already ensured that he would set a new career-high ranking on Monday.

Meanwhile, speaking about the game here, despite having a losing head-to-head record against de Minaur, Korda had sufficient reasons to be confident going into the final of the ATP singles tournament as he looked to end a four-match losing run. He had defeated No. 2 seed Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals and defending champion Tallon Griekspoor in the semifinals before losing in Sunday's final. His only victory over the Australian came three years ago at Wimbledon on grass, in four sets.

However, Korda had little reason for celebration over the opening two-thirds of the game. De Minaur, playing in windy situations, troubled the American with her flawless lobs and skillfully executed groundstroke angles, resulting in her winning six straight games after losing 2-2 in the opening set.

I'm looking forward to the whole grass-court season with a smile on my face: De Minaur

"It was a great match, tricky conditions. Seb is a hell of a player ... I'm super happy with the win, with the week. It's been great. It achieves a new career high for me, so that's always a little bonus, and the first week on grass couldn't have gone every better. I'm looking forward to the whole grass-court season with a smile on my face," De Minaur said after the match.

"You're going to be a menace this whole grass-court season. I'm looking forward to the doubles next week. Hopefully, we can have some fun, and you can carry me," de Minaur told Korda in the trophy presentation.