De Minaur wants Australian Open glory 'bad'

Alex de Minaur has once again roared into the last 16 in front of home fans at the Australian Open. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS

Alex de Minaur has become the first local man since John Newcombe to make the fourth round of the Australian Open five years in a row.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

or signup to continue reading

Holiday Offer

All articles from our website & app

The digital version of Today's Paper

Crosswords, Sudoku and Trivia

All other in your area

The world No.6 endured some nervous moments to progress to the round-of-16, winning 6-3 6-4 7-5 against big-hitting American Frances Tiafoe on Friday night.

He will next meet 10th seed Alexander Bublik, who beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, before a potential quarter-final with world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.

It took de Minaur two hours 43 minutes to take down the 29th seed Tiafoe, who never gave up on Rod Laver Arena.

In his first match of the tournament against a seeded opponent, de Minaur completed his fourth win from five outings against the talented, but often-wayward Tiafoe.

The dual major semi-finalist virtually handed the first set to de Minaur due to a series of unforced errors.

De Minaur broke serve twice during the second set and appeared to be crushing Tiafoe's spirit.

But Tiafoe did pull one of the breaks back to force de Minaur to close out the set.

A short break at the start of the third set due to a person in the crowd falling unwell didn't seem to immediately halt the rampant Australian's momentum.

Tiafoe gave de Minaur a slight scare towards the end, getting back on serve and defending match points.

But 'Demon' broke back at 5-5, before serving for the match.

Frances Tiafoe's time on court in Melbourne has come to an end in the third round. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

"Frances is a hell of a competitor, a hell of a player, it was a hell of a battle," de Minaur said.

"I played some of my best tennis in the tournament for two and a half sets, and he just lifted it when he needed it.

"In my brain, I don't associate playing in Australia with pressure, I associate it with just excitement.

"I've known since I was a little kid this is where I wanted to be, where I wanted to play, in front of packed crowds.

Alex de Minaur was almost unpassable in a commanding display on centre court. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

De Minaur is also the first Australian man to make five fourth-round appearances at Melbourne Park since Lleyton Hewitt, who achieved the feat seven times between 2000 and 2012.

He equals Pat Cash and Mark Philippoussis in sixth place for most round-of-16 appearances at a grand slam by an Australian man.

Australian Associated Press

Daily

Your morning news

Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update.

As it happens

Public Service News

Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service.

Weekdays

The lunch break

Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation.

Weekdays

The evening wrap

Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening.

Weekly

Subscriber Only

Note from the Editor

Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters.

Twice weekly

The Senior

Stay in the know on news that matters to you with twice weekly newsletters from The Senior.

Weekly

What's On

Going out or staying in? Find out what's on.

Daily

Sport

The latest news, results & expert analysis.

Daily

Subscriber Only

Early Look At David Pope

Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon.

Weekly

Times Reader's Panel

Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers.

Weekly

Weekend Reads

We've selected the best reading for your weekend.

Weekly

Property

Get the latest property and development news here.

Weekly

Explore Travel

Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe.

Weekdays

The Echidna

Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more.

Twice weekly

The Informer

Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday.

As it happens

Subscriber Only

Special Reports

Get the very best journalism from The Canberra Times by signing up to our special reports.

Twice weekly

Voice of Real Australia

Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over.

Weekly

Motoring

Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarGuide, ACM's exclusive motoring partner.

As it happens

Breaking news alert

Be the first to know when news breaks.

Daily

Subscriber Only

Today's Paper Alert

Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am!

Daily

Subscriber Only

Your favourite puzzles

Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!

Advertisement

Ad

Advertisement

Ad

Click here to read article