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Live sport on SN this weekendDe Minaur 'on fire' to claim last 16 spot
SENZ •  January 24th, 2026 12:03 am
For the fifth year running, Alex de Minaur has made his way into the last 16 of the Australian Open after a strong, straight-sets win against No. 29 seed Frances Tiafoe.
The World No. 6 got the job done in just under three hours out on Rod Laver Arena with the scoreline reading 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 against the American.
From start to finish, the Australian No. 1 was simply too dominant against his American opponent, with his ability to extend the rally helping create several errors.
The Sydneysider was also able to generate a vast amount of break point opportunities with de Minaur managing 12 (of which he converted five) compared to Tiafoe's four (who only converted two).
This would leave Channel 9's Todd Woodbridge to say that the Demon was 'on fire'.
That included a crucial break in the penultimate game of the match, which all but sealed the result for de Minaur after he held his serve in the 12th game of the final set.
He'll now face either Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Kazakhstan's (and No. 10 seed) Alexander Bublik in the fourth round.
That match will likely be played on Sunday night at Rod Laver Arena.
