Known for the wheels that earned him the Speed Demon moniker, Alex de Minaur has lifted a gear at Australian Open 2024.
With a straight-sets win over Flavio Cobolli at John Cain Arena, the No.1 Australian moved smoothly into the tournament’s second week.
Also progressing on Friday at Melbourne Park were defending doubles champions Rinky Hijikata, while Storm Sanders came extremely close to securing her spot in the last 16 before falling to No.9 seed Barbora Krejcikova.
Combining his trademark weapons of tenacity and athleticism, De Minaur defeated the Italian qualifier 6-3 6-3 6-1 to set a fourth-round meeting with fifth seed Andrey Rublev.
“This is where the tournament really starts,” De Minaur said. “I say this because this is where I want to be. This is where the tail end of the tournament starts, the second week of Slams.
“I’ve always been told that the first week of a Slam is to get through however way you want to, and the second week is when you start to play your real tennis.
“Hopefully I can do that. Now the matches … should be against better-ranked opponents. I’m looking forward to that.”
De Minaur took two hours and seven minutes to wear down Cobolli, who was considerably more dangerous than his world No.100 ranking suggested.
After three dominant wins in qualifying, the 21-year-old had launched a first Australian Open main-draw campaign with a five-set upset of No.18 seed Nicolas Jarry, before overcoming Pavel Kotov in four sets.
Yet De Minaur never allowed the AO debutant the opportunity to produce his best.
The Australian struck a first blow as he earned the first break against Cobolli in an extended seventh game. While he didn’t consolidate, he also didn’t panic, breaking the Italian again and lifting a level to secure the 39-minute first set with an ace.
An epic third game was the turning point of the second set, with De Minaur securing a 2-1 lead on his ninth break point. With energy levels only rising, he maintained that advantage to close out the set.
The toll of a sixth match in Melbourne started showing for Cobolli, who was treated for a leg complaint when he trailed 0-3 in the third set.
De Minaur, by contrast, was seemingly growing in energy as he gained another break of serve and confidently served out the match, securing victory with a perfectly placed forehand, for his 26th winner of the match.
“I probably must be feeling the freshest I’ve been getting at this stage of the tournament,” said De Minaur. “Physically I’m feeling great. Now it’s just about giving all my energy for what’s to come.”
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De Minaur becomes the first Australian to reach the AO fourth round in three consecutive editions since Lleyton Hewitt between 2003 and 2005.
“I’ll try to get a little bit better and beat my personal best, get to a quarterfinals. That’s the first step,” he commented.
“I’ve made a couple fourth rounds in the past. I maybe have gotten to that point and not played the type of match I wanted to.
“I’m hoping I can break that barrier and go one further.”
Hijikata and Kubler make winning return
Hijikata and Kubler, the 16th seeds scored a comfortable 6-2 6-4 victory against fellow Australian Chris O’Connell and his Serbian partner Laslo Djere in opening-round men’s doubles action at Melbourne Park.
The 22-year-old Hijikata and 30-year-old Kubler did not drop a service game in the 70-minute encounter, keeping their unbeaten record as a team intact at the tournament.
“It was good to be back here playing,” said Hijikata, now on a seven-match winning streak with Kubler at Melbourne Park.
“I think both of us had a tough one in singles, so just to be out there again was good fun. It was a good atmosphere. It was pretty packed out there.”
Another all-Aussie duo, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, have also advanced to the second round.
World No.4 Matt Ebden and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna secured their place in the third round. However, it came at the expense of Aussie wildcards John Millman and Edward Winter.
Ebden and Bopanna scored a 6-2 6-4 victory, which ended Millman’s professional playing career.
The 34-year-old was honoured on court after the match, with Tennis Australia Chief Executive Officer Craig Tiley making a special presentation to the Aussie favourite.