Alex de Minaur has begun his bid to wrench his French Open woes out of his system, returning to winning ways on the grass courts of a Dutch tournament he won two years ago.
Deeply deflated and self-critical after his defeat by Jakub Mensik at Roland Garros just under a fortnight ago, the Australian No.1 had been undecided whether to take a break or throw himself straight back into action for a pick-me-up on the grass, a surface he much prefers.
Having eventually decided to "get straight back on the bike'' by taking a wildcard for the event he won in 2024, de Minaur, 's-Hertogenbosch's second seed, made heavy weather of winning a "very, very tough match" against impressive young American qualifier Martin Damm in a rain-interrupted round-of-16 affair.
