Alex de Minaur has produced his best performance of the tournament so far to defeat compatriot Jordan Thompson in the fourth round of the US Open.
And by reaching the quarterfinals in New York, he has joined some illustrious names.
"I'm happy with the win," De Minaur said. "It's never easy playing a friend and a fellow team-mate in a big match. It wasn't easy, but I did what I needed to do, and happy to be in the quarterfinals here again."
The 25-year-old De Minaur made a blistering start to the highly anticipated all-Australian showdown, the first meeting between two Aussie men at this stage of the tournament in 31 years.
De Minaur raced through the opening set 6-0, firing eight winners to one and conceding just 10 points, to amplify the pressure on world No.32 Thompson.
It meant he had won 18 consecutive games at the US Open, after bagelling Dan Evans in the third and fourth sets of their match in the last 32.
The 30-year-old Thompson, contesting a fourth-round match at a major tournament for the first time in four years, managed to work his way into the match and level at one-set apiece.
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But world No.10 De Minaur's big-stage experience showed, as he calmly fought back to close out a 6-0 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory in just under three hours.
"I’ve got so much respect for Thommo," De Minaur said. "We’ve grown up together, he’s been like a big brother to me, so I really appreciate everything he has done for me. He’s a hell of a competitor, my Davis Cup team-mate and I can’t wait to share the court many, many times with him."
This maintains De Minaur's dominant record against fellow Australians in the past six years; he has won 17 of 20 matches against his peers in this period.
"It’s just a mentality," De Minaur said of the secret to his recent success. "A positive mindset no matter what, try to play every point, try to win every point and as always, compete my heart out."
With this latest victory, De Minaur becomes only the seventh Australian to reach multiple US Open men's singles quarterfinals in the Open era.
Only two other Aussies – Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt – have achieved this feat in the past 50 years.
De Minaur is the first Australian in almost 20 years to advance to three consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals, an accomplishment last achieved by Hewitt between 2004-05.
And he is one of just seven men – after Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz – to reach the quarterfinal stage at three Grand Slam tournaments in 2024.
Reigning Australian Open champion Sinner is the only one of the group to appear at the quarterfinal stage at all four majors this season.
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"It's always nice to achieve milestones," De Minaur said.
"[But] I don't make too much fuss. I just put my head down and work on my craft. I'm excited that the results are showing."
To advance to his maiden Grand Slam semifinal, De Minaur will need to defeat rising British star Jack Draper.
The 22-year-old Draper is enjoying a career-best run at Grand Slam level and has progressed to the quarterfinals without conceding a set.
"He’s been playing some great tennis all year round, so I’m expecting a battle," De Minaur said of the world No.25, who he boasts an unbeaten record against from their three previous matches.
"He’s very tricky, so I’m going to do my best, compete my heart out and we’ll see what happens."