- De Minaur is through to the quarterfinals of the US Open
- Australian tennis player defeated compatriot Jordan Thompson
Alex de Minaur defeated his great friend Jordan Thompson in a spectacular fourth round of the US Open, reaching a new milestone in his fantastic Grand Slam season.
De Minaur put his friendship aside and ended Thompson’s combative Open campaign with a hard-fought 6-0 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory, becoming the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt 20 years ago to reach three successive Grand Slam quarter-finals.
His value rising with every win, the No. 10 seed will face England’s world number 25 Jack Draper on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) in an Ashes-style battle for a coveted place in the last four.
After arriving in New York in poor condition and with ‘low expectations’, De Minaur has regained the confidence and form to quietly challenge for the title.
Moving freely and showing no signs of the hip injury that derailed his Wimbledon and Olympic dreams, De Minaur showed little mercy to his childhood friend and Davis Cup teammate on Monday.
Thompson fought tooth and nail and threatened to end the match in a deciding set, but in the end De Minaur’s class and perseverance prevailed.
Thompson had no choice but to throw his racket onto the court in frustration as he endured the shame of a bagel in the first set.
And even after Thompson finally won a game and then came back from a 40-0 deficit to take the second set, De Minaur didn’t flinch and quickly got back to work on Labor Day in America.
Alex de Minaur (pictured) produced his best performance of the tournament by beating Australian Jordan Thompson in the fourth round of the US Open
De Minaur put his friendship aside and ended Thompson’s combative Open campaign with a hard-fought 6-0 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory
The Frenchman, a Wimbledon and now US Open quarterfinalist, regained the lead and took a two-sets-to-one lead. Thompson pounded his rackets even more and criticized his box, feeling the match slipping out of his hands.
With one last chance, Thompson broke early in the fourth set, raising hopes of a famous comeback from the underdog.
But it was not exactly kind from De Minaur, who immediately fought back and eventually overpowered Thompson after a thrilling fourth set with four breaks, to take the victory after two hours and 57 minutes.
“I have so much respect for ‘Thommo’. We grew up together. He is like a big brother to me,” said de Minaur.
“I really appreciate everything he’s done for me. He’s a great player, my Davis Cup teammate and I can’t wait to be on the court with him a lot.”
Despite all the heroics of Thompson and Novak Djokovic’s thrower Alexei Popyrin in the first week, De Minaur is once again the last Australian standing at the final major tournament of the season.
Thompson (pictured) managed to work his way back into the match and level the score: one set each.
The standard-bearer’s feat of three consecutive Grand Slam titles is one that eluded even former world No. 1 Ash Barty and former US Open women’s champion Samantha Stosur during their distinguished careers.
No Australian has achieved this feat since Hewitt in 2004-05.
The two-time major winner reached the last eight at Roland Garros and Wimbledon before reaching the finals at Flushing Meadows and Melbourne Park.
“Look, it’s just the mentality. My positive mindset, no matter what,” the baseline warrior said.
“I try to play every point, win every point and just always do my best.”
After becoming the first Australian since Hewitt 20 years ago to reach the second week of all four majors in a single calendar year, De Minaur will now be hoping to emulate the feats of his Davis Cup captain from 2001 and 2004 by reaching the final on Sunday.
De Minaur is the first Australian in almost 20 years to reach three consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals
He has a golden opportunity, as De Minaur has won all three previous meetings with Draper, including the last two on hard court.
If he can continue his path to the draw, De Minaur will face either world number 1 Jannik Sinner, 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev or 14th-seeded Tommy Paul in his first Grand Slam semi-final.
For Thompson, it is the end of his career, but the 30-year-old leaves the Big Apple with half a million dollars in earnings and a 29th place in the world rankings, his highest ever. That puts him on course for a first Grand Slam tournament qualification at the Australian Open in January.