A rejuvenated Alex de Minaur glided through the initial week of the Australian Open with a relatively effortless win over qualifier Flavio Cobolli on Friday night at John Cain Arena.
The 10th ranked player faced some competition from the 21-year-old, who had to win five matches at Melbourne Park to reach this point. However, the Australian player proved to be more steady and secured a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win in 128 minutes. This was De Minaur’s second consecutive victory against an Italian opponent and he has now won seven sets in a row since losing the first set to Milos Raonic in the first round on Monday.
De Minaur expressed his happiness, acknowledging that he may have been slightly tense during the match. However, he is pleased to have advanced and feels that the second week of the tournament is when things truly kick off.
After De Minaur defeated the 41st-ranked Arnaldi in straight sets on Wednesday, Cobolli provided a different kind of opponent for the nimble Australian. They had never met but it appeared De Minaur had done his homework. The Australian had described Cobolli before the match as a bit like Arnaldi with “firepower”.
De Minaur was on him almost from the jump, breaking to go up 3-2 in the first set. But the son of a former professional once ranked No 237 in the world showed he was worthy of the stage. It took Arnaldi until the fifth-last game to take a service game off the Australian. Cobolli, shocking the Melbourne Park fans into silence, did it in his seventh.
De Minaur expressed admiration for his opponent’s competitive spirit and performance throughout the tournament, from qualifying to reaching the third round. He also commended his ability to defeat seeded players and other talented opponents, stating that he holds a high level of respect for him.
As the game progressed, it became clear that the Australian player was of high caliber. He regained composure and won the first set, appearing to have control in the beginning of the second. Yet, the Italian opponent remained determined. He had already made it through the qualifying rounds at Melbourne Park and defeated 18th seed Nicolás Jarry in the opening match.
Cobolli came close to breaking De Minaur in the second game of the set. As De Minaur attempted to dominate, the Italian remained resolute. Despite facing the world No 10 and a crowd of nearly 10,000 Australian fans in John Cain Arena, he managed to hold his own and avoid being broken – at least temporarily.
During the game, which was tied at 1-1, the Italian player’s service lasted for a remarkable 23 points, taking up 17 minutes of play. De Minaur made a powerful return on break point, but it ultimately went out of bounds. The Italian player desperately tried to save the game and made some impressive pickups, but the rowdy fans showed little respect for his efforts. They even sang the entire “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” chant multiple times. The chair umpire also seemed to be getting frustrated. Cobolli was finally unable to hold onto his game and his chances of winning were diminishing. Despite having four chances to break his opponent’s serve in the second set, he was unable to convert and ultimately lost the set to the Australian player.
He seemed to be getting exhausted. After taking a break for medical attention, the last set went by quickly, but he left with a smile, clearly happy with his top performance in a grand slam.
The upcoming match against Andrey Rublev, the No 5 seed, presents a significant challenge for the Australian player. He will need to make improvements, particularly with his first serve, as it only landed 52% of the time in his previous match against an Italian opponent.
“I am exactly where I want to be, at the tail end of the tournament and the start of the second week of slams,” De Minaur stated. “I have always been advised that the first week of a slam is about finding a way to get through, and the second week is when you truly showcase your tennis skills.”
