Australian Alex de Minaur hit a major setback in his preparations for the US Open, losing to world No. 73 Reilly Opelka in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Sunday.

The pair have faced off on five previous occasions, all of which de Minaur has come out on top. The world No. 8 de Minaur has 24 hard-court wins across the 2025 tour, however, he was unable to use his experience to conquer the American giant for the sixth time.

In hot conditions, the big-serving American hit 14 aces and smashed 38 winners, besting de Minaur 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 in just one hour and 41 minutes.

Opelka said he was unhappy with his serving, however, it all came together in the end.

“My forehand helped me a lot and my backhand, playing with a lot of offence, and I was pretty consistent from the baseline the whole match. My serve fluctuated, and it was a bit of a surprise that the other things came through well for me today. I think I returned really well too.”

The loss comes just two weeks after the Australian was victorious at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, winning the title in a three-set match over Spanish seed Alejandro Davidovich. De Minaur had more success last week, progressing to the quarter-finals in Canada.

De Minaur is now at risk of his world ranking falling below eighth, meaning he has the chance to meet big dogs like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz earlier than the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.

Photo: Alex de Minaur vs Andrey Rublev forehand by Jacky Cheong found HERE and used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.