Australian beats Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
Bublik defeats Etcheverry in straight sets
Alex de Minaur has a date with his own nemesis. The Australian defeated Frances Tiafoe in a spectacular three sets on Friday night, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, to again reach the round of 16 at his home grand slam.
There he will meet Alexander Bublik, the dangerous 10th seed who came back to beat the Australian twice in high-profile matches last year. They were two of a series of agonising, front-running defeats that tainted De Minaur’s 2025 season, including one at the ATP Finals against Lorenzo Musetti that prompted him to admit he had become “quite dark”.
Against Tiafoe though, there was no late turnaround, even if the American was unfortunate in a tight third set. De Minaur relied on his canny ability to stay in points others would give up on, and a penetrating backhand that made the American’s forehand ill. “It was a hell of a battle, so huge respect to him,” the Australian said. “I played some of my best tennis in the tournament for two and a half sets, and he just lifted it when he needed it.”
