Alex de Minaur crushed 10th seed Alexander Bublik in an Australian Open fourth-round match, delivering a blockbuster quarter-final against world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
The great local hope produced a masterclass on Sunday night at the Rod Laver Arena to stun Bublik 6-4 6-1 6-2 in just an hour and 32 minutes. Bublik matched the world number 6 until late in the first set, when De Minaur took complete control.
After a double fault on set point, Bublik destroyed himself in the second set as de Minaur raced to book successive quarter-finals at Melbourne Park. Even two-time major winner Lleyton Hewitt did not reach the last eight at his home grand slam twice during his glittering career.
From 4-4 in the first set, de Minaur went on to win 14 of the next 16 games in an extraordinary blitz. A rattled Bublik protested to his team when he was 5-1 down in the second set: “It’s the slowest court I’ve ever been on in my life.”
The crushing victory is sweet revenge for de Minaur, who lost to Bublik in the second round of the French Open last year when he was leading by two sets.
“I was definitely thinking about the last two matches I played against him,” said de Minaur, who also lost to Bublik at the Paris Masters last year.
“He is super dangerous. He can hit winners of everything, take the rhythm out of the match and make it almost as messy as possible.
“I just had to be locked in from the first point to the last, a huge mental effort until the quarters. So job done.”
Tennis legend John McEnroe noted on commentary that de Minaur had made his opponent look “pedestrian”.
“It has to be one of the best games he has ever played in this tournament,” McEnroe said of the 26-year-old.
“He should be cheered up. He played great!” De Minaur’s quarter-final with Alcaraz threatens to become a decisive moment in his career.
In six previous Grand Slams matches in the last eight, De Minaur has been beaten in all matches, including a humiliating defeat to Jannik Sinner at last year’s Australian Open.
De Minaur is 0-5 against Alcaraz, with the young Spaniard last beating him in straight sets at last year’s ATP finals.
“I am super satisfied with my level,” said De Minaur.
“I feel like I’m doing everything I want on the field. I’m excited for the next one, it’s going to be a big one.” “I’ll have to come out here with all guns blazing, and I’m looking forward to a fight against Carlos.”
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