Alex de Minaur has enjoyed a belated birthday present by battling into the last-16 of the Qatar Open with a straight-sets victory over stubborn Russian Roman Safiullin.
Australia's No.1 had spent his 26th birthday on Monday on the practice courts at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha, and emerged in sharp mood the day after as he wore down some late resistance from the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Safiullin to triumph 6-1 7-5.
While the 'Demon' laughed about his "first win s a 26-year-old", though, there was a major first-round shock as 37-year-old Novak Djokovic, on his return to action after injury derailed his Australian Open bid, got knocked out by the ever dangerous Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.
