Carlos Alcaraz praised for act of 'good sportsmanship' after Alex de Minaur dudded by umpire's call
An admirable act of sportsmanship from Carlos Alcaraz benefited Alex de Minaur but also proved to be his downfall in the first set of their quarter-final.
With de Minaur on serve at 5-6, the Aussie was hit by a time violation before the first point.
Alcaraz and de Minaur looked bemused when the call was made by the chair umpire, who at first was unflinching in her decision.
Watch the Australian Open live & free on the 9Network & 9Now. Stan Sport is the only place to watch every match, live & on demand with centre court in 4K.
"Both players looking, (asking) what was that for?" Todd Woodbridge said on Nine.
Alex de Minaur reacts after the umpire's call. Getty
Alcaraz then approached the umpire and said he wasn't ready and it was his fault.
"Some good sportsmanship from Carlos there," Woodbridge said.
READ MORE: 'Deflated' Demon crushed by Alcaraz brilliance
READ MORE: NBA legend leaves trail of 'extremely sad' Aussie families
READ MORE: Gauff obliterates racquet after quarter-final thumping
The time violation warning was taken off but the whole situation appeared to unsettle de Minaur who lost two points quickly on his own serve.
"That may have upset Alex's focus here," Jim Courier said before it went to 0-40.
Woodbridge added: "It's certainly changed a bit of the momentum here".
De Minaur managed to defend those three set points as he appeared to switch back into gear.
On deuce, the Aussie hit a shot wide which gifted the Spaniard another set point.
The world No.1 didn't let up this time as he engaged in a brilliant rally with de Minaur whose final shot collected the top of the net and bounced wide.
The Aussie couldn't get any closer as Alcaraz went on to dominate, winning 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.
