Alex de Minaur is building quite the impressive Australian Open record, and he’s recalling some Aussie greats in the process.
The 24-year-old advanced to the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the third consecutive year, the first Australian man to achieve this feat since Lleyton Hewitt from 2003 to 2005.
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It is perhaps a good omen to match his mentor and Davis Cup team captain, for Hewitt went on to reach the final in 2005 – his best run at the Australian Open.
Looking ahead to the finals is premature, but De Minaur certainly has the quarterfinals in his sights.
“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,” he admitted.
“I’m hoping I can break that barrier and go one further.”
Should he beat fifth seed Andrey Rublev in Sunday night’s fourth-round blockbuster, he would become the first Australian man to reach the AO quarterfinals since Nick Kyrgios nine years ago.
Kyrgios is one of just five Australian men to progress to the last eight in singles at Melbourne Park, following Hewitt (2005), Pat Rafter (2001), Mark Woodforde (1996) and Pat Cash (1988).
AUSSIE MEN AT MELBOURNE PARK: BEST AO SINGLES RESULTS
(since 1988)
Rafter and Woodforde ultimately fell in the semifinals, while Cash, like Hewitt, went all the way to the final.
De Minaur has been trending up at his home Grand Slam ever since 2019, when he reached the third round.
After missing AO 2020 due to an abdominal tear, he returned to the same stage in 2021, before second-week appearances in 2022, 2023 and this year.
It means he has won 13 of his past 17 matches at Melbourne Park.
He carries a six-match winning streak into his clash with Rublev, with three of those wins coming against top 10 players.
A win over world No.5 Rublev would be his fourth inside a month, an extraordinary success rate given he beat six top-10 opponents across the entire 2023 season.
“I probably must be feeling the freshest I've been getting at this stage of the tournament,” De Minaur said after his 6-3 6-3 6-1 win over Flavio Cobolli in the third round.
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“Obviously I got a little bit lucky with Milos (Raonic) pulling out (in round one). Therefore, the match wasn't too long. Then I played two straight-sets wins that weren't too long.
“Physically I'm feeling great. Now it's just about giving all my energy for what's to come.”