Cricket
Racing
Rugby
Tennis
Football
Combat Sports
Sport Nation
Basketball
League
Motorsport
Golf
Other Sports
What stood out about De Minaur’s fourth round Aus Open triumph
Andrew Slevison • January 21st, 2025 10:51 am
Alex De Minaur had to hit the reset button during the second set of his fourth round Australian Open win over Alex Michelsen on Monday night.
The No.8 seed eventually advanced in straight sets - 6-0, 7-6, 6-3 - after cruising through the first set and starting the second strongly, before Michelsen fought back.
But just as the American threatened to take the second set away from him, De Minaur rallied to again assert his dominance before easily pocketing the third set on his way to a quarter final meeting with world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
SEN tennis expert and The First Serve’s Brett Phillips broke down De Minaur’s win as he progressed to the final eight of the Aus Open for the very first time.
“To get that second set tiebreak when he was behind the eight ball with Michelsen at 5-4 and in a good position to take out that second set,” Phillips said on SEN Breakfast.
“I love how he just focused on the next point, hit the reset button and then was pretty clinical in the third.”
Phillips was impressed by De Minaur’s ability to overcome a subpar first serve on the night, instead avoiding errors elsewhere in his game.
The 25-year-old now prepares to take on Italian star Sinner who battled through illness in his fourth round win over Holger Rune which could give the Aussie some sort of leg up.
“Stats tell us a certain thing and early on it was fascinating, even in that first set which he won 6-0, he was serving under 30 per cent first serves in,” Phillips continued.
“So it just goes to show that whilst the first serve is hugely important, he’s got a really decent second serve now which he kicks up mainly to the backhand and makes it difficult to return.
“He can win in all sorts of different ways. Michelsen made 50 unforced errors… Alex just does not do that.
“He ticked a very nice box and with what unfolded with Jannik Sinner having to play in the heat of the day with a gutsy win and the effects of that going into a quarter final tomorrow, that’s not the worst-case scenario for Alex De Minaur.”
De Minaur faces reigning Aus Open champion Sinner on Wednesday while Ben Shelton (21) will take on Lorenzo Sonego.
The men’s quarter finals kick off today with Tommy Paul (12) v Alexander Zverev (2) and Novak Djokovic (7) v Carlos Alcaraz (3).
Listen to the Australian Open on AO Radio LIVE on the SEN app.
