\u201cIn my brain, I don\u2019t associate playing in Australia as playing with pressure, I associate it with just excitement. Since I was a little kid, this is where I wanted to be, where I wanted to play, in front of packed crowds, I\u2019m truly fortunate to be in this position and yes it gets stressful at times but that is only because I want it so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those were the words of Alex de Minaur<\/a> as he saluted a packed Rod Laver Arena. After two hours and 43 minutes, the Aussie had booked a place in the fourth straight last 16 tie at Melbourne Park.<\/p>\n He sets up a fascinating clash with Alexander Bublik. At a career high ranking of 10, the Kazakhstani has progressed through the first three rounds without losing a set. It\u2019s the second straight slam where he has managed this feat.<\/p>\n The two have a recent history. After winning their opening three head-to-head ties, they met in the second round of Roland Garros. All was going to plan as de Minaur breezed into a 6-2 6-2 lead. It marked the seventh straight set won for the Aussie in this career head-to-head. Yet, he went on to lose 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 in an uncharacteristically baffling collapse.<\/p>\n He told the Guardian<\/a>, \u201cI lost that one. Looking back at my grand slam career, I can\u2019t think of another match where I felt this way and ended up losing a match that I win 99.9 % of the time. In a way, the good thing is that today is something like a miracle, in the sense that I\u2019m not known for these types of performances. I\u2019m probably known for the opposite, which is just being consistent and not losing really matches that I shouldn\u2019t be losing.\u201d<\/p>\n The two met again in the same city later that season at the Rolex Paris Masters. On the slow indoor courts, the world #6 edged a tight first set. Although, a much-improved version of Bublik continued to fight away, with his big hitting game competing against one of the best counter punches out there. After taking the second set 6-4, Bublik edged the decider 7-5 and booked a semifinal spot against an in-form Felix Auger-Alliassime.<\/p>\n Ultimately, though, they were two low points in an otherwise stellar season for de Minaur. He finished the season as a career high world #7 (in terms of finishing rank) and reached two grand slam quarterfinals, the semifinals of the ATP Finals and lifted his third ATP 500 title at the Washington Open. Year on year, he redefines what is possible. His 6\u20190 frame and lack of weapons have led to questioning over his ceiling. He is ambitious as ever to redefine his limits.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal now moving forward is to keep pushing for more. I think I have more to give and I think I want to get higher and higher so (for) 2026, the plan is to finish better than I did in 2025.\u201d he says on his recently founded YouTube channel.<\/a><\/p>\n So far, he has progressed through the Australian Open draw without much fuss. Mackenzie McDonald won just seven games in a bout that lasted under two hours. In the second round, Hamad Medjedovic ended a marathon first set with a tiebreak victory. The Serbian\u2019s shot making was a joy to watch, particularly on the forehand wing.<\/p>\n However, he faded badly afterwards. The 22-year-old has an abundance of talent, but his tactical decisions confuse at times. He consistently opted for the drop shot and welcomed a physical net-exchange-heavy game. That was always going to suit the Demon. His movement was far superior to his counterpart, and the final three sets went his way 6-2 6-2 6-1.<\/p>\n Frances Tiafoe was an intriguing opponent. The American parted ways last season with David Witt and Jordi Anaconda and hired Mark Kovacs. With the incredible peaks that the 2022 -2024 US Open\u2019s have brought, his results elsewhere signal wasted potential.<\/p>\n Tiafoe echoes this sentiment. He told The Athletic<\/a> during the pre-season, \u201cDon\u2019t be mad about the reality you get without putting the work in. That has just been sitting with me.\u201d<\/p>\n He also added, \u201cI\u2019ve done some great things. I really feel like I haven\u2019t scratched the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he was unable to get near De Minaur in the opening two sets. The Aussie dominated the forehand battle, with too many unforced errors leaving the Yonex frame. To give credit to Tiafoe, he rallied back in the third, and there was a sense of angst among the watching home crowd. At 5-5, momentum seemed to be shifting. Was a comeback on the way?<\/p>\nHead-to-head History<\/h4>\n
Sites Set High For 2026<\/h4>\n
Bursting The Tiafoe Bubble<\/h4>\n