A feat of dominance Rafael Nadal never achieved in his career: Alex de Minaur does the unthinkable at Monte-Carlo vs Grigor Dimitrov

Alex de Minaur recently achieved a feat that even Rafael Nadal, a clay court legend, had never accomplished. De Minaur achieved this against Grigor Dimitrov at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters.

De Minaur is seeded eighth at the ATP Masters 1000 clay court event in Monaco and he began his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He defeated Tomas Machac 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 and ninth seed Daniil Medvedev with a score of 6-2, 6-2 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, Alex de Minaur overcame 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 victory in just 44 minutes. This victory marked De Minaur's first double bagel on clay, a feat that even Rafael Nadal had not achieved in his career.

Rafael Nadal has an impressive record at the Monte-Carlo Masters, having won the title 11 times throughout his career . He last won the title in 2018 when he triumphed over Kei Nishikori in the final.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion also made history by winning the ATP Masters 1000 clay court title eight consecutive times between 2005 and 2012 to become the only player in the Open Era to achieve such a remarkable feat at the same international tournament.

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Who will Alex de Minaur face at Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 SF?

Alex de Minaur at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters [Image Source: Getty Images]

Following his win over Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters, Alex de Minaur is set to take on Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals of the tournament.

Musetti is seeded 13th at the ATP Masters 1000 clay court event and he began his campaign with a win against qualifier Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round. He then overcame Jiri Lehecka 1-6, 7-5, 7-2 and defeated fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-3 in the second and third rounds, respectively.

In the quarterfinals, the Italian defeated sixth seed and defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 to secure his spot in the semifinals against De Minaur.

Alex De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti have faced each other twice on the ATP Tour, with each player claiming a victory. Their most recent clash was in the first round of the 2024 Queens Club Championships, where Musetti emerged victorious with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 win. He then went on to reach the final, finishing as the runner-up after losing to Tommy Paul.

The winner of the semifinal showdown between De Minaur and Musetti will advance to face either second seed Carlos Alcaraz or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the tournament final.