De Minaur handed the Antalya title

Fourth seeded Alex de Minaur picked up his fourth title when he won the Antalaya Open after just seven-minutes following the eighth seed’s Alexander Bublik’s sudden retirement after just two games, forced into the decision by the ankle injury he picked up during his semi-final.

I got some quality wins and now I’m looking forward to returning to Australia, where I hope to have a good Aussie summer in front of a home crowd Alex de Minaur

The Kazakh had somehow managed to overcome it to defeat Jeremy Chardy in three sets but 24-hours later, after intensive physio, the problem became a hindrance and, with the Australian Open in mind, decided not to take the risk of aggravating it further.

The World No. 49 explained: “I twisted my ankle yesterday and finished with an adrenaline rush for the best win of my life. I was so lucky to win.

“I tried to play. I was in the physio room for three hours yesterday and I tried to get ready for the match today. It’s hard for me in my third ATP Tour final, and I’ve never gotten the win.”

Despite the disappointment of not completing the final, the 21-year-old Aussie, ranked 23, was satisfied with his week’s work saying: “I knew I’d put in a great pre-season, I felt good and ready to compete.

“I gave myself the best possible chance to go deep in this tournament.

“I have got matches at the start of the year. I am very happy with my level. I got some quality wins and now I’m looking forward to returning to Australia, where I hope to have a good Aussie summer in front of a home crowd.”

His run at the first event n the 2021 ATP Tour calendar saw him score victories over Malek Jaziri of Tunisia in the first round, Bulgarian qualifier Adrian Andreev in the second round, sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia in the quarter-finals and second-seeded Belgian David Goffin in the semi-finals dropping just one set throughout the week (to Goffin) at the Limak Arcadia Sport Resort in Antalya.