Sat Feb 22 11:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Aussie De Minaur Makes History with 200th Hard-Court Win in Doha
**Doha, Qatar** – Alex de Minaur celebrated his 26th birthday in style, achieving a significant milestone in his career. The Australian secured his 200th hard-court victory on Tuesday, defeating Roman Safiullin 6-1, 7-5 in the first round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. This win makes him the first man born in 1999 or later to reach this impressive benchmark, surpassing even world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
De Minaur’s achievement is particularly noteworthy as no other male player born in 1999 or later has even reached 100 hard-court wins. He joins an elite group of Australians, becoming only the third in the Open Era to surpass 200 hard-court wins, following Lleyton Hewitt (372) and Patrick Rafter (212).
The match itself was not without its challenges. After dominating the first set, De Minaur found himself facing a resilient Safiullin who fought back to level the second set at 5-5. However, the Australian remained composed, breaking Safiullin’s serve and then holding his own to clinch the victory in one hour and 38 minutes.
This win marks De Minaur’s tour-leading 12th of the year. His next opponent will be Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp, whom he has defeated twice previously, including a recent victory at the Australian Open. The second-round match promises to be a challenging but exciting prospect for the history-making Australian.
First Piper 