Australian Alex de Minaur records his first top-five win at a major tournament to continue his career-best run at Roland Garros 2024.
Paris, France, 4 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Alex de Minaur has become the first Australian to advance to a men’s singles quarterfinal at Roland Garros in 20 years.
The 25-year-old produced a sublime performance today to triumph 4-6 6-2 6-1 6-3 against world No.5 Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.
This is the biggest win of De Minaur’s Grand Slam career and continues a stunning career-best run in Paris.
De Minaur fired 51 winners to 27 across the two-hour and 49-minute encounter, with his aggressive approach paying off against the six-time Grand Slam singles finalist.
The world No.11 entered this match with a 0-6 career win-loss record against top-five opponents at Grand Slam level. He was also 0-5 against top-five opponents on clay, having lost all of those previous encounters in straight sets.
However, his growing confidence was on show against Medvedev. He confidently bounced back from dropping the opening set, with his relentless pressure and exceptional court speed helping him to outsmart his higher-ranked opponent.
From two-all in the second set, De Minaur won 11 of the next 12 games to take control against an increasingly frustrated Medvedev.
Medvedev lifted his level in the fourth set, but it wasn’t enough to stop De Minaur from notching an impressive victory.
With this effort, De Minaur becomes the first Australian man into the singles quarterfinals at Roland Garros since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004. He also joins an exclusive group, as just the 11th Australian to advance to a men’s singles quarterfinal at the tournament in the Open era.
Roland Garros men’s singles Australian quarterfinalists in Open era |
|
Player | Year |
Ken Rosewell | 1968, 1969 |
Rod Laver | 1968, 1969 |
Roy Emerson | 1968 |
Tony Roche | 1969 |
Fred Stolle | 1969 |
John Newcombe | 1969 |
Phil Dent | 1977 |
Peter McNamara | 1982 |
Pat Rafter | 1997 |
Lleyton Hewitt | 2001, 2004 |
Alex de Minaur | 2024 |
This matches De Minaur’s deepest run in a Grand Slam tournament, having also previously made the US Open quarterfinals in 2020.
His quarterfinal opponent is yet to be decided. He’ll face either world No.4 Alexander Zverev or world No.13 Holger Rune, who contest their fourth-round match in Paris this evening.
Aussies in action – Roland Garros
RESULTS
Men’s singles, fourth round
[11] Alex de Minaur (AUS) d [5] Daniil…
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