The best know how to win when they’re not playing well, and Alex de Minaur submitted his application to that exclusive club on Saturday with a clunky but determined victory over potent Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo to book a place in the Australian Open’s round of 16.
The Australian looked out of sorts on his serve and was rarely comfortable against the powerful forehand of his opponent, but he handled the adversity like a No 8 seed to win 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3 in close to four hours.
De Minaur attributed his victory to his conditioning on a warm afternoon at Melbourne Park. “You put in a lot of hard work in the off-season, and these are the moments that you see the results, so I’m extremely happy, I felt great out there,” he said. “I know that I’m feeling good physically, even if I start losing points, that over the long run I’m going to be feeling much better than he is.”
While De Minaur eventually clawed his way to victory, he had to endure a torrid first two sets lasting almost two and a half hours. He double faulted six times in the first, including one on set point. And in the second frame, the 25-year-old needed three forehand errors from Cerundolo to take the tie-break.
Inconsistency was the story of the match, and neither player could establish much momentum. De Minaur seemed far from his best early on, and was clearly frustrated in exchanges with his coaching box. It was only when he tested the No 31 seed’s backhand that the Australian could find cheap points, and the tide eventually turned. Cerundolo finished with 48 unforced errors on his backhand, almost as much as De Minaur’s combined total of 62.
The Argentinian’s level seemed to drop after calling for the trainer in the third set, and De Minaur was able to close out the match. But a nervous Rod Laver Arena wasn’t comfortable until the Australian finally broke Cerundolo’s will midway through the fourth set.
At 3-3 De Minaur chased down a drop shot then Cerundolo’s follow up, shocking his opponent into a miss from the ensuing volley. That game ended in a double fault, a break, and a hammer blow from Cerundolo who called for the physio for the second time. Two games later De Minaur had another break, securing the match with a Cerundolo double fault.
The Australian’s distinctive celebration was the moment that will give home fans reason for optimism. He furiously hit his thighs in a release of frustration from a difficult afternoon, but also to declare his legs were ready for the second week. He repeated the celebration when running down another drop shot the following game to drive home the point.
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De Minaur said afterwards it was a gesture to announce his legs were back after a hip injury limited him during 2024. “It was tough last year with the injury, getting through it, even coming back on court, competing and not feeling like myself. It’s been a long six months, but geez, it feels good now that I’ve got my legs back.”
The Australian has now reached the round of 16 at Melbourne Park for the fourth straight year, but he has never reached the quarter-finals. Now the promise of a second week awaits, and a fourth round match against 20-year-old American Alex Michelsen, who knocked out Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round and ousted 19th seed Karen Khachanov earlier on Saturday.
“He’s been playing some amazing tennis this week,” De Minaur said. “He’s a kid playing with a lot of confidence, so I’m expecting another battle, but I love these battles. I can’t wait.”
