The Australian Alex De Minaur (6th in the world) swept aside the Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik (10th) on Sunday to offer himself a prestigious duel against the boss of the circuit Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
The last local player competing in Melbourne, the 26-year-old right-hander won (6-4, 6-1, 6-1) and reached his second quarter-final in a row in Melbourne. The Sydney native had been beaten by Bublik in their last two duels, notably suffering a defeat in five sets at Roland Garros after leading two sets to nothing.
De Minaur had never before eliminated a member of the top 10 at the Australian Open. Eliminated in the quarterfinals by future winner Jannik Sinner in 2025, he will try on Tuesday against Alcaraz to qualify for his first Grand Slam semi-final. Beaten in his first six Grand Slam quarter-finals, the Australian also lost the five duels he fought against the world number 1 on the ATP circuit or in major tournaments.
