Alex de Minaur has produced one of his finest performances at any Australian Open to advance to the fourth round for the fifth year in a row.
The last Australian man standing has the chance to reach back-to-back quarter-finals at his home major after eliminating American threat Frances Tiafoe, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, in front of an adoring Rod Laver Arena crowd on Friday night.
De Minaur is the only local to make the last 16 at the Open in five successive years since the tournament switched from Kooyong in 1988.
“In my brain, I don’t associate playing in Australia as playing with pressure. I associate it with excitement,” de Minaur said.
“Since I was a little kid, this is where I wanted to be, where I wanted to play in front of packed crowds. I’m truly fortunate to be in this position and, yes, it gets stressful at times, but that’s only because I want it so bad, so I’ll do my best [to keep going].”
Tiafoe tried to stage an improbable late fightback after going down a break in the third set, drawing level and threatening to extend the match into a fourth.
But one more wild forehand, off a service-box return that de Minaur barely blocked back, proved Tiafoe’s undoing after saving four earlier break points with inspired tennis in what proved the penultimate game.
Even then, de Minaur needed three match points – either side of saving a break-back point – to complete victory in two hours and 43 minutes.
Alex de Minaur stretches for a return.Credit: Alex Coppel
“Frances is a hell of a competitor, a hell of a player, and it was a hell of a battle, so huge respect to him,” he said.
“I played some of my best tennis in the tournament for two-and-a-half sets, and he lifted when he needed it, and he started going big. He started returning and playing with some great depth, taking the racquet out of my hand.
“I just had to manage it, and it was quite stressful at the end, but I’m very relieved that I got over the line.”
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De Minaur continues to be one of the most consistently excellent players on the men’s tour, and has made no secret of his ambition to one day hold aloft the Australian Open trophy.
That is still more dream than reality, given the presence of Carlos Alcaraz – a potential quarter-final foe – and Jannik Sinner, but the world No.6 is in rare touch and increasingly believing he can beat the world’s best.
Either world No.10 Alexander Bublik or Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who are still on court, are up next for de Minaur.