Alex De Minaur and Jannik Sinner know each other best. © AFP / MARCO BERTORELLO
48 hours after beating Taro Daniel, Jannik Sinner is fighting for a place in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in Melbourne. His opponent is an old acquaintance – and one who has always brought luck to the young South Tyrolean in his career.
January 23, 2022
From: leo
Alex De Minaur, nicknamed Demon for his uncanny speed, is Australia’s last remaining player in the tournament. So all the hopes of the tennis country rest on the narrow shoulders of the 22-year-old, who was born in Sydney and grew up in Spain. After all, he doesn’t get all the media attention, especially since Ashleigh Barty is the big tournament favorite for women. In any case, De Minaur has proven so far that he can handle pressure and really thrives in front of his own fans.
Like Sinner, the world number 42. only lost one set at the Australian Open – namely in the first round against youngster Lorenzo Musetti. He defeated the Seppi conqueror Kamil Majchrzak and the Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6:4, 6:4 and 6:2. The Australian with Uruguayan and Spanish roots had already shown that the form is right at the ATP Cup when he put a certain Matteo Berrettini in his place in two sentences. Between De Minaur and the second Grand Slam quarterfinals of his career is now Jannik Sinner, who fought his way into the round of 16 of the Australian Open for the first time on Saturday thanks to an increase in performance.
Good memories
Sinner and De Minaur have met twice in their careers – and in tournaments that the South Tyrolean will never forget. The opponents’ paths crossed for the first time at the final of the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan, which can confidently be seen as Sinner’s breakthrough. About a year later they met again in the quarterfinals of the ATP 250 tournament in Sofia. Again the 20-year-old got the upper hand – and again he won the title.
Wants to go to the quarterfinals: Jannik Sinner © ANSA / JASON O’BRIEN
The 2-0 record makes it clear that Sinner gets along well with De Minaur’s game, which is based on his speed. Still, the starting position is open as the entire Rod Laver Arena will be behind their protégé and whip him forward. “It’s going to be really difficult because De Minaur always plays big at home. I’ve experienced situations like this before and I’ll try to prepare as best I can,” emphasizes the Sextner. The match starts at 4.30 a.m. (CET) at the earliest
