Corentin Moutet stopped by Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals in Washington

In his first ATP 500 semi-final in Washington , Corentin Moutet (59th) was dominated on Saturday by world number 13 Alex de Minaur. The Frenchman lost in two sets (6-4, 6-3) but this result will allow him to secure a place in the top 50 on Monday.

The American week remains good for the small 26-year-old left-hander, beaten in qualifying almost a week earlier before being drafted at the last minute and propelled to the second round by the withdrawal of Holger Rune, then knocking out the former world number 1 Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals - after a stunning match point - and finally reaching the semi-finals.

Facing De Minaur, Moutet—who had battled for nearly two and a half hours the day before against Medvedev in the furnace of Washington and suffered from cramps—held firm until 3-3, before allowing the Australian to take the upper hand. His racket was no match for the loss of the first set. His start to the second set was nightmarish: he didn't score a single point in the first three games. This quickly led to him being two breaks behind.

In the final, De Minaur will face the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich (26th), who defeated (6-2, 7-5) the American Ben Shelton (8th) in 79 minutes, who was unrecognizable on Saturday evening.