Alex de Minaur defeats Flavio Cobolli to progress to the fourth round of his home Grand Slam for a third consecutive year.
Alex de Minaur, who gained notoriety for his Speed Demon wheels, has advanced in the Australian Open 2024.
The No. 1 Australian cruised into the second week of the competition at John Cain Arena with a straight-set victory over Flavio Cobolli.
De Minaur defeated the Italian qualifier 6-3 6-3 6-1, combining his signature tenacity and athleticism to set up a fourth-round matchup with fifth seed Andrey Rublev.
Making no secret of his intense aspirations to win his home Grand Slam, a businesslike De Minaur declared, “This is where the tournament really starts.”
“I say this because my goal is to be here. The second week of Slams marks the beginning of the tournament’s tail end.
“I’ve always been told that you should play your real tennis in the second week of a Slam, and the first week is yours to navigate however you see fit.
I’m hoping I can pull that off. The matches now ought to be against opponents with higher rankings. That’s something I’m excited about.
It took De Minaur two hours and seven minutes to wear down Cobolli, who was far more dangerous than his ranking of No. 100 in the world indicated.
The 21-year-old opened his first Australian Open main draw campaign with a five-set upset of No. 18 seed Nicolas Jarry, following three commanding victories in qualifying. Pavel Kotov was defeated in four sets.
Equipped with an especially strong forehand, the cunning Cobolli won 45 games in his opening encounter and another 41 in his second.
But the rookie at the Australian Open never got a chance to play his best tennis against De Minaur. In a drawn seventh game, the Australian delivered the first blow when he won the first break of serve against Cobolli.
De Minaur did not panic, but he also did not consolidate. A further break over the Italian proved to be a confidence-inspiring one, as the No. 10 seed raised the stakes to win the first set, which lasted 39 minutes, with an ace.
The second set turned on an incredible third game, where De Minaur secured a 2-1 lead on his ninth break point. He kept that edge to get close.
Cobolli began to show the effects of playing in his sixth match in Melbourne when he was losing 0-3 in the third set and receiving treatment for a leg ailment.
On the other hand, De Minaur appeared to be gaining momentum as he won another break of serve and finished the match with a confident serve that resulted in victory and his 26th match winner.
“I think I’m feeling the most rejuvenated I’ve been feeling so far in the tournament,” De Minaur said. After Milos Raonic withdrew due to injury in the first round, De Minaur defeated Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets.
“My physical well-being is excellent. Right now, all I have to do is devote all of my energy to the future.
De Minaur becomes the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003–2005 to make it to the fourth round of his home Grand Slam in three straight editions after reaching the same stage of the 2022 and 2023 competitions.
When asked how he would go about replicating his mentor’s success, De Minaur stressed the significance of concentrating on his own achievements.
“My first goal will be to improve a little bit, surpass my personal best, and advance to the quarterfinals. The first step is that, he stated.
“I’ve previously made a few fourth rounds. Perhaps up until then, I hadn’t played the kind of match I had hoped to. I’m hoping to surpass that obstacle and go even farther.
Aussies in action – Australian Open
TODAY’S RESULTS
Men’s singles, third round
[10] Alex de Minaur (AUS) d [Q] Flavio Cobolli (ITA) 6-3 6-3 6-1
Women’s singles, third round
[9] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) d [Q] Storm Hunter (AUS) 4-6 7-5 6-3
COMING UP
Men’s singles, fourth round
[10] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [5] Andrey Rublev
