CHINA OPEN

October 3, 2026

Alex De Minaur

Mixed Zone

A. de MINAUR/Q. Halys

3-6, 7-6, 7-5

Q. That was touch-and-go, wasn't it?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, another battle, as we often have whenever we play each other. Yeah, stoked to have found a way to get through.

Didn't look right for most of that match, but super proud of the efforts. Was up for the battle. Glad I turned it around.

Q. You said it didn't look right for the majority of the match. In the game where he was serving for it, your body language was excellent. You produced the incredible passing shot. Even if things weren't feeling great, how did you find that level when you needed it?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, I mean, I always back myself to break, right? I knew throughout the match I had some chances here and there.

Look, it's happened many, many matches. It's not easy to serve a match out. I just kind of tell myself that if I don't break now, then we're in trouble (smiling).

Just jumping around, played a good game, made it tough for him. I'm glad I was able to kind of lift my level when I needed it.

Q. You've spoken about the mental side of the game. How do you put to one side any positive thoughts, any potential negative thoughts, when you're in a crucial situation like this? Oh, my gosh, I've got to do this otherwise...

ALEX de MINAUR: It all goes down to doing your best to take a step back, right, and try not to have your mind filled with emotions. Emotions can ultimately dictate your actions. Sometimes those aren't the right actions.

If you can take time and try to take a couple deep breaths, really look at what you got to do from a calm state of mind, the answer becomes a little bit more clear.

For me in that stage I had to try and be aggressive 'cause he was dictating very well. He wasn't really missing. So I had to kind of back myself to take some more chances, even if my back was against the wall.

Ultimately sometimes you're able to execute; sometimes you're not. Today I was able to execute. I'm happy for that.

Q. Some athletes say you shouldn't date someone from your same sport. Others say that it's actually better because they understand. How does that actually help you become a better player?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, look, as you said, we're both in the same sport, in the same life. We both understand each other. We both can talk to each other about very personal things that we're feeling within this sport. I know she's always got my back. I've always got her back. That's something that's been very important.

Also live life off the court. We've put in a big effort to do our best to kind of make sure that we're ready to go when we're in tournament mode, when we come to the courts. As soon as we leave the courts, we can switch off, whether that's exploring, whether that's trying to be normal human beings.

It's been a great balance for both our tennis careers.

Q. With Lleyton Hewitt here, is he here more like, let's say, an observing role, or has he come on board in a more official capacity?

ALEX de MINAUR: He's helping me out for the next couple weeks. He's been someone that's always been there in my corner and has done so much for me. It's amazing to have him here helping me out. Looking forward to what's next.

Q. The way you're able to interact with your coaching staff a lot more, and Katie was sitting there, the fact she's a pro player, does she actually ever yell anything out tactically or does she stay out of that?

ALEX de MINAUR: No, I mean, a lot of tennis is moments, how you approach each and every point, right? Sometimes it's not about the tactical side of things, it's about trying to be free or go after the ball, be positive. These are the types of things she will let me know.

It's great. The same thing I do for her. It is always a different voice, which is great. But 100% having the bench so close, you can kind of have some good interactions. Before he was serving for it, I kind of just basically told them that if I don't break now, I'm in trouble, so... Let's try and get the break.

Thankfully and luckily it kind of was a big change in momentum and a key game.

Q. What did you have for breakfast?

ALEX de MINAUR: Huh? What did I have for breakfast? I didn't have my Weetabix, which I would love to have. I had an omelette, some cereal, and most importantly some coffee.

Q. Of the four of y'all, who has the biggest one? Amongst the four of you, who has the biggest breakfast?

ALEX de MINAUR: Probably me, to be honest. I need the energy. I kind of feel like I've got to get ready for a three-hour battle every time I step out on court. I don't have many easy matches. For me, I just got to get ready. Definitely need some coffee to start off the day.

Q. (Question about the match points.)

ALEX de MINAUR: My head was at let's not let this affect me. That's basically it. Of course, I would have loved to have closed it out there. There were some questionable decisions I made in those moments.

The best way is to just give yourself another chance, right? I would have felt a lot, lot worse if I let that game affect me and I got in a bad mood, then all of a sudden I let it dictate the next two games of that match, right? We're too much in a crucial point of the match to kind of dwell on it too much.

I'm glad that I bounced back straightaway. I played a great game to break. I learned from my mistakes and got the job done.

Q. You're now on a five-match winning streak. Haven't lost since the US Open. That momentum you're building, did that help you in the tight moments today?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, for sure. I mean, when I was down a set and him serving for the match, I look back at my performance at Laver Cup, right? It felt kind of like something I had already done. Why not do it again, right?

The matches, the confidence, are helping me in these tight situations.

Ultimately the mentality, right? It didn't look right for a long time, but it didn't affect me. I was up for it. I was ready to go. No matter what, until the last point is done, I was going to compete. That's what I'm all about.