Alex de Minaur is among three Australians scheduled to compete on day five at Roland Garros 2023.
Paris, France, 1 June 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Australia’s top-ranked man, Alex de Minaur, is thrilled to see his peers enjoying success at Roland Garros.
Four Australian men progressed to the second round, the most to reach this stage in Paris since 2000.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that can be competitive week in, week out and as soon as they get in this kind of situation every week, they’ll realise they belong here,” De Minaur noted.
De Minaur and Max Purcell are back in action on day five, looking to join compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis in the third round.
> READ: Kokkinakis wins epic battle to reach Roland Garros third round
While 18th seed De Minaur is feeling confident, he is also wary ahead of his second-round meeting with Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Although it will be their first professional meeting, they did play twice as juniors. De Minaur won both of those encounters, including in the opening round of the Roland Garros 2016 boys’ singles competition.
“He’s the definition of a very, very good clay-courter. Very strong guy, tall, got a big serve, big forehand,” De Minaur noted.
“(He’s) one of those unseeded dark horses, so I’ll be ready for a battle, that’s for sure.”
Roland Garros is broadcast live in Australia on the Nine Network and Stan Sport, with coverage beginning from 6.30pm AEST.
Aussies in action on day five:
[18] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG)
Men’s singles, second round, Court 14, first match (from 7pm AEST)
World No.19 De Minaur has matched his career-best result at Roland Garros, advancing to the second round for a third time. The 24-year-old Australian has an edge in experience over his next opponent, world No.49 Etcheverry. The 23-year-old from Argentina, who has reached two ATP clay-court finals this season, is looking to record a career-first top-20 win and advance to the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
Head-to-head record: First meeting
Max Purcell (AUS) v [27] Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN)
Men’s singles, second round, Court 13, second match
Purcell is enjoying a breakout season, with 39 wins from his 49 singles matches so far in 2023. The world No.68 is now hoping to reach the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. Standing in his way is world No.33 Nishioka. Purcell did win their only previous…
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