Alex de Minaur has made no secret of his obsession with the Australian Open title and has established himself as a real Grand Slam contender after driving into the second spherical in Melbourne.
Like a tennis sizzling rod, de Minaur took lower than two hours to see off fortunate loser Mackenzie MacDonald within the heats 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, matching her quickest begin at a serious in her homeland.
He lives as much as his sixth seeding, and his victory in 1 hour and 48 minutes tied the document time to advance to Spherical 2 from 2021.
The seven matches conceded had been additionally the fewest matches the Australian pace tennis “demon” had misplaced en path to spherical two within the first match of the 12 months.
“Traditionally I’ve performed fairly nicely right here in Australia so I am having fun with the situations. I am fairly quick,” de Minaur stated after reserving Wednesday’s second-round match towards Serbian world No. 90 Hamad Medjedović.
“When the solar is out prefer it was as we speak, the situations are fairly quick and the ball goes by means of the air.
“It helps my serve just a little bit, offers my serve just a little extra momentum and permits me to get just a few extra free factors.
“And the viewers can also be rooting for me, so it’s a win-win.”
The world No. 6 has by no means performed a Grand Slam as the next seed, and he duly delivered one in all his most convincing first-round performances in 9 tournaments.
Contemporary off two energetic United Cup victories, de Minaur had no issues together with his serve, breaking the American 5 instances.
The house favorites conceded simply 5 factors after changing their first shot and staving off the one break level they confronted.
Regardless of his career-high rating, the six-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist stated he will not relaxation till he closes the hole between the world’s prime two superstars Carlos Alcaraz and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner.
“I at all times have tunnel imaginative and prescient of wanting extra,” he stated.
“So I’m engaged on having just a little extra enjoyable and appreciating the journey and the place I got here from and the place I’m now.
“I’ve given myself a little bit of a pat on the again, however on the identical time I’m hoping for extra.
“So the plan is to goal greater, preserve enhancing, preserve pushing. Hopefully, sixth place will not be my career-high rating.”
De Minaur is aware of the easiest way to achieve his rating objective is to maintain profitable till Sunday’s title match.
“Look, my feeling proper now’s that I’ve reached a stage the place I am not only a quantity on this lottery,” he stated.
“I am taking part in to win and be one of many guys in rivalry. So in the end that is the objective.”
“I’m going to do my greatest and I’m not going to be glad even when I make it to the second week or the quarter-finals or the semi-finals.
“There is no particular stage (that I am aiming for). I simply must be like, ‘Okay, I am going to do that,’ and transfer ahead one step at a time.”
“However I am not simply making up numbers now. What’s essential is that I take the following step and consider in my talents. That is the one factor that makes me doable.”
