Alex de Minaur defeats Frances Tiafoe, advances to fourth round at Australian Open
Alex de Minaur has become the first Australian man since John Newcombe to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open for five consecutive years.
The world No.6 faced some tense moments but advanced to the round of 16, defeating big-hitting American Frances Tiafoe with a score of 6-3 6-4 7-5 on Friday night.
It took de Minaur two hours and 43 minutes to overcome the 29th seed, who remained competitive throughout the match on Rod Laver Arena.
In his initial match of the tournament against a seeded player, de Minaur secured his fourth victory in five encounters against the skilled, yet often inconsistent Tiafoe.
The dual major semi-finalist effectively conceded the first set to de Minaur due to a number of unforced errors.
De Minaur broke serve twice in the second set, seemingly diminishing Tiafoe’s resolve.
However, Tiafoe managed to reclaim one of the breaks, compelling de Minaur to finish the set.
A brief interruption at the beginning of the third set due to a spectator falling ill did not seem to disrupt the Australian’s strong performance.
Tiafoe posed a slight challenge towards the end, breaking back to level the score and saving match points.
Nevertheless, ‘Demon’ broke back at 5-5 and then served for the match.
“Francis is a tremendous competitor, an exceptional player, it was a tough contest,” de Minaur remarked. “I played some of my finest tennis in the tournament for two and a half sets, and he elevated his game when it mattered.”
“In my mind, I don’t link playing in Australia with pressure; I connect it with excitement.”
“I’ve known since childhood that this is where I wanted to be, where I wanted to compete, in front of enthusiastic crowds.”
“I feel truly fortunate to be in this situation.”
“Yes, it can be stressful at times, but that’s only because I desire it so much, so I will give my best.”
De Minaur is set to face either Kazakhstan’s 10th seed Alexander Bublik or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the fourth round on Sunday, with a possible quarter-final matchup against world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.
Source: espn.com
