Alex de Minaur in 'ugly' admission as Aus Open scare prompts telling post-match act
De Minaur's actions after the match were telling as marched into the fourth round.
Alex de Minaur's request to play during the day session at the Australian Open paid off on Saturday as he absorbed the Melbourne heat and the "pressure" of performing in front of home fans to book his spot in the fourth round. And the World No.8's post-match message went a long way to answering why he chose to play in the day over the primetime at night, despite admitting he had to do it the "ugly" way in a hard-fought 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 6-3 win against the brave but fatiguing Francisco Cerundolo.
The Aussie fan favourite declared his "legs are back" after surviving a scare by showcasing some extraordinary court coverage to win points he had little right to, as cramp began to set in for his Argentinian opponent. On a searing day at Melbourne Park where the mercury rose above 30 degrees, it was de Minaur that handled the heat better as he marched into the last 16 for a fourth consecutive year.
De Minaur loves playing at home but admitted it was the first time he didn't feel "comfortable" in front of a parochial crowd inside Rod Laver Arena, perhaps weighed down by the weight of expectation that comes with being the eighth seed. "I reckon this is probably the first match that I’ve played here in Oz where I’ve felt, like today, that I didn’t feel comfortable," he told reporters. "I felt all of a sudden a little bit of pressure playing. I didn’t know what to do.
“I just told myself to go out there and compete. A part of me knew that at some point there was going to be always a match where pressure was going to be there and the nerves were going to be there, kind of the expectation was going to be there... I just told myself to go out there, compete. Geez, I’d rather win ugly any day over losing pretty, right? Ultimately I lived to fight another day. My next one I’ll make sure I bring a better level.”
De Minaur admitted he was some way off his best after an uncharacteristically sloppy display that included nine double faults and 62 unforced errors. The Aussie's first service percentage was also worryingly low at 49% and that will have to improve if he's to beat Alex Michelsen in the fourth round after the unseeded American continued his giant-slaying ways by toppling Russian World No.19 Karen Khachanov 6-3 7-6 (5) 6-2.
One thing that's always certain with de Minaur though - no matter how badly he's playing - is that he'll fight tooth and nail until the end. And the Aussie showed that trademark grit on Saturday, repeatedly slapping his thighs after winning taxing rallies to show that his leg-speed is back and he's over the injuries that punctuated his best ever season in 2024.
Alex de Minaur's telling post-match message
As the heat sapped the energy out of his ailing opponent, de Minaur's level seemed to rise and the Aussie was pleased that all the hard work he'd done around conditioning and fitness had paid off. De Minaur even signed off on his victory by writing "bring the Aussie heat" on a camera lens, to show how he thrives in the hotter conditions and explaining why he chose to play in the afternoon, rather than at night.
The Demon isn't mincing words 😈🤩#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/GpmmN1Lhqn
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2025
“Today, day session, Aussie heat, born and raised in it, I’m ready to go whether it was three sets, four sets or five sets. I was feeling good physically. I knew the work I put in. That gave me the confidence to go out there and still compete till the end.
“Getting through matches like today, maybe I think in the past, not playing well, not feeling amazing, I maybe would have found a way to lose that match. Like that first set where I was in control and then all of a sudden it just kind of slipped out of my hands. I think this version of myself is exactly that: even if I don’t have my best day, I’m going to compete till the end, and I’m still going to be a very tough out for anyone who’s in front of me.
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Standing between the Aussie and a first-ever quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open is unseeded American Michelsen, who will be looking to eliminate his third seeded player after beating Khachanov on Saturday and Greek 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round. "Look, he's been playing some amazing tennis this week," de Minaur said about his fourth round opponent. "He's a kid playing with a lot of confidence, so I'm expecting, again, another battle. But I love these battles. I can't wait."
with AAP