Alex de Minaur through to Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time as mother, Esther, cries in the stands
Alex de Minaur has set up a date with Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after a dominant straight-sets victory in the fourth round.
De Minaur accounted for Alex Michelsen with relative ease, winning 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 at Rod Laver Arena.
"He came out ready to play," John McEnroe said on Nine.
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The victory means the Aussie will play in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open for the first time, a result that left his mother, Esther, in tears.
Alex de Minaur celebrates during the fourth round while his mother Esther reacts to the win. Getty/Eddie Jim
Nick Kyrgios was the last Australian male to play in the quarter-finals of the grand slam in 2015. Ash Barty's tournament victory in 2022 was the last for Australia overall.
De Minaur worked Michelsen over in all three sets, hitting 28 winners to the American's 23.
Michelsen also had a whopping 50 unforced errors throughout the match.
"He's turning Rod Laver (Arena) into a torture chamber for Michelsen," Jim Courier said on Nine during the second set.
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However, it wasn't all smooth for de Minaur.
The Aussie was down 5-4 in the second set tiebreaker as the American earned momentum.
However, a poor shot wide from Michelsen and an ace from de Minaur handed him set point.
He didn't make a mistake with the final point to claim the set.
"He had to work hard but withstood the pressure of the young American," Todd Woodbridge said.
In the final set, de Minaur barely put a foot wrong to continue his run at his home tournament.
Speaking about his upcoming clash against Sinner, the 25-year-old had a defiant statement.
"I'm going to have to do something I haven't done before. Why not start here?" he told Courier.
The quarter-final will be played on Wednesday.
