Alex de Minaur made his intentions clear from the beginning of Australian Open 2026.
“I came here to win,” the world No.6 said ahead of his home Grand Slam.
It was a refreshingly frank and promising indication of form that has manifested into a quarterfinal clash against top seed Carlos Alcaraz on Day 10 of competition on Tuesday.
Such public statements may not be overly common in tennis, at least comparative to other sports, but they are important. Mentally concede to an opponent before a match has even started and you may as well not walk on the court.
The mindset that De Minaur has adopted can, and usually does, show in momentum and results, as this campaign shows.
He entered AO 2026 as the No.6 seed, looks noticeably fitter, and is playing some of the best tennis of his career.
De Minaur has been unflappable on and off the court at Melbourne Park, as his straight-sets win over Alexander Bublik on Sunday night attests.
The 26-year-old had lost two previous encounters against the Kazakhstani but was meticulous at Rod Laver Arena, dispensing of Bublik in just one hour and 32 minutes.
It was the second fastest match of the men’s tournament so far - behind Reilly Opelka’s first-round win over Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in one hour and 31 minutes.
“I got tired of the narrative that these big hitters can take the racquet out of my hands,”
De Minaur said post-match.
“Over the years I have kept on improving. I have kept on getting more and more out of myself. One of the things I have been constantly wanting to get to is exactly that — when I'm playing big hitters, not be a punching bag for them ultimately, and really show them that I can go toe-to-toe with them, and actually dictate, and get them moving. That's the most effective way to play these big guys.
“Ultimately, I’m very happy that I'm able to execute that. The last couple of matches is some of the best ball striking I have had here at the AO.”
Alcaraz will enter the quarterfinal with a bigger billing than De Minaur.
The Spaniard is the men’s singles top seed and is yet to drop a set as he looks to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam of all four major crowns.
Alcaraz spoke to the media on Sunday after a straight-sets win over American Tommy Paul and, like De Minaur, the 22-year-old was happy with his ability to stay locked in throughout the entire match.
“Something that I was working on is to maintain the focus in the whole match, which I did today, playing such great tennis since the beginning until the end of the match,” Alcaraz said.
“So, for me it was really, really important more than saving energy - because I just have plenty of that,” he said with a smile. “It's more about how I have been playing during almost three hours, which was really high.
“It gives you lots of confidence coming to the quarterfinals.”
However, it would be remiss to discount De Minaur purely on billing.
“My job is to go out there, compete and let my tennis do the talking,” he said. “I'm not going to come out here and plead Australia to believe in me. I can do it.
“I'm going to go out there, I'm going to compete, I'm going to go after the match.”
De Minaur’s mentor Lleyton Hewitt, who has been sitting courtside for his matches, said playing against Alcaraz or defending champion Jannik Sinner is “a true test … in any of the Grand Slams and especially over five sets”, but is confident his protégé has done the work.
“It’s something he’s been working hard for, to be put in these positions, at the pointy end of these big tournaments, and he gets his shot, so we’ll see what happens,” Hewitt said.
“When you do the work then you know in the back of your mind you’ve got the chance to go out there and just execute. He’s obviously feeling great with his body, which is really important for his game, and the confidence comes with that as well. I think hitting wise, he’s hitting as well as I’ve seen in the past, but he’s just established himself as a player in the top 10, and the confidence comes from that.”
De Minaur and Alcaraz have never faced each other at a Grand Slam before but are familiar with each other’s games ahead of what will be a tough test for both.
“He's obviously playing at an incredibly high level, as we have seen all week long. When we played in the exhibition match, he was playing some pretty high-quality tennis. I know what to expect,” De Minaur said.
“It does help out that I'm feeling quite fresh, and it's going to be a physical battle, right, because there are many, many things that Carlos does incredibly well on a tennis court, and one of that is making the rallies quite physical.
“He's got the ability to not only hit the ball incredibly well and try to hit you off the court at times, but also extend rallies. So, there could be some gruelling exchanges.
“I'm looking forward to what's to come. Hopefully it's going to be a battle, and it's going to be a long one.”
Women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka also returns to the court on Day 10 for a quarterfinal clash against Iva Jovic.
Sabalenka is yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park, as she chases a third title crown.