Late in the second set of Friday night’s match against Alex de Minaur at Australian Open 2026, Frances Tiafoe sat at his bench and peered towards his box with arms slightly outstretched.
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The expression suggested something to the effect of, “What do I have to do to win a point?”
More than he could manage, as it turned out.
De Minaur felt that Tiafoe was “locked in” coming into the third-round clash, but the Sydneysider proved to be the one on fire.
He held off the US showman at the start, near the end and dominated for large parts in between as part of his 6-3 6-4 7-5 win in two hours, 43 minutes.
As a result, he returns to familiar territory at his home Slam.
In making the second week for the fifth straight year, De Minaur became the second Australian man to achieve the feat in the Open Era after John Newcombe roughly 50 years ago.
“It was a hell of a battle, so huge respect to him,” De Minaur said on court post-match.
“I played some of my best tennis in the tournament for two-and-a-half sets.
“He just lifted it when he needed it. He started going big and started 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 very relieved I got over the line.”
Watching De Minaur is like rewatching a favourite movie. You know what’s coming, but you still enjoy it.
Every match he plays, De Minaur is bound to dazzle in rallies, even if he ends up being defeated.
De Minaur ended the contest with 31 winners and winners of all sorts, cheered on by mentor Lleyton Hewitt and fiancee (and women’s pro) Katie Boulter, not to mention most in attendance at Rod Laver Arena.
Getting the better of Tiafoe in a 22-shot rally for a break at 1-1 in the second set perhaps led Friday’s compilation.
De Minaur for the umpteenth time showed why he is considered to be among the fastest men around, scrambling and sliding to reach an angled Tiafoe overhead. Tiafoe ended the point with an error.
The world No.6 pummelled inside-out backhands in two straight games later in the set to Tiafoe’s disbelief, one earning him a 5-2 double-break cushion.
Now in complete control, De Minaur switched off, although only temporarily.
He started the third with a break, like this — authoring a flat, angled backhand cross court for 15-30, a cross court backhand passing shot for 15-40, and finally a rocketed backhand down the line.
When he was asked earlier at AO 2026 what his favourite shot was, you can understand why he picked the backhand.
De Minaur knows forehand bite is needed when facing his fellow top 10 players in particular, and he began the next game with a fierce cross court drive.
De Minaur, though, buckled serving at 4-3, paving the way for a dramatic conclusion.
At 5-5, the duo produced another video-game rally, with Tiafoe floored by a De Minaur crosscourt forehand to cap another 22-shot battle.
The ever-engaging Tiafoe asked for – and received – help from a ballkid to get back on his feet. Tiafoe finally erred facing a fifth break point in the game when his forehand missed with De Minaur stranded.
De Minaur capitalised on his third match point in the next game, saving a break point in the process.
Their last meeting in Canada last year – won by De Minaur in a tight three sets – and renewed purpose from Tiafoe heading into 2026 suggested a close affair.
Tiafoe shuffled his coaching team. He told Bounces that his girlfriend and agents gave him stern words not long after an upset loss to Jan-Lennard Struff at the US Open.
And be it at the US Open or other majors, when Tiafoe – who got to as high as No.10 in 2023 – competes on a centre court, he habitually rises to the occasion.
He will likely rue not capitalising in the first set. The now world No.34 won the first point of the match. On the second one, he controlled a 19-shot rally but then erred on a volley.
In the first set, he led in three of De Minaur’s first four service games and generated the opening two break points at 3-3. Both times, he made forehand unforced errors. The forehand issues continued into the next game, as De Minaur broke for 5-3 and took over.
De Minaur will meet Alexander Bublik in the fourth round after the No.10 seed beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets later on Friday.
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Bublik’s renaissance last season began with a comeback win against De Minaur at the French Open. De Minaur, though, spoke of being “burnt out” afterwards.
No sign of that at AO 2026.
He is once again coping admirably with being Australia’s top-ranked performer in Melbourne.
“In my brain, I don’t associate playing in Australia as playing with pressure,” he said.
“I associate it with just excitement.
“Since I was a kid, this is where I wanted to be, playing in front of packed crowds. Yes, it gets stressful but only because I want it so bad. I’ll do my best.”