The home favourite has taken his speed and returns to new levels in Melbourne, but it’s his serve that will be key against world No 1
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lex de Minaur went into his quarter-final with Jannik Sinner at the 2025 Australian Open hopeful that he could make life difficult for the defending champion. Not only did that not happen, but the manner of his one-sided defeat left him wondering if he really had the game to trouble the top players.
Fast forward a year and the Australian again finds himself in the last eight, again facing one of the sport’s superstars, this time Carlos Alcaraz. As with Sinner, the head to head doesn’t make pretty reading for De Minaur, with Alcaraz leading 5-0. This, though, is their first grand slam meeting and there is a growing feeling that things can be different.
Perhaps it’s because he’s playing the best tennis of his career. De Minaur enjoyed a slightly longer break than usual in the off-season, spending Christmas at home in Spain for the first time in nearly a decade. He won two matches at the United Cup and here, he has looked better than ever, losing just one set on his way to the quarters.
