Alex de Minaur breaks new ground in his burgeoning career, defeating one of tennis’s greats Daniil Medvedev to become the first man in two decades to reach the French Open quarter-finals Australian player.
The diminutive Sydney player with a big heart and amazing speed defeated fifth seed and former US Open champion Medvedev 4-6 6-2 6-1 6-3 on Monday after losing a set first. , reaching the quarter-finals for the second time.
One measure of the extent of his achievement is that in the past 42 years, only Hewitt twice (2001 and 2004) and Pat Rafter (1997) have done so on the clay courts of Roland Garros among Australian men. So much progress has been made.
Both men are Grand Slam winners and world No. 1s, and the win was a major breakthrough for the indefatigable De Minaur, who had won six previous Grand Slams. Zhongdu lost to the top five players in the world.
Medvedev defeated De Minaur at last year’s U.S. Open with a 6-2 head-to-head advantage, but on clay courts that the Russian never enjoyed, the Australian used All key moves were made, laying the foundation for the final game.
Too quick, too creative and too aggressive, he overcame a nervous start, grew in confidence and kept blasting past Medvedev’s famous defense with 51 searing winners, giving the six-time Grand Slam winner The man in the final was frustrated.
The sun appeared on the court for the first time in this tournament, Suzanne Lundgren and Di Minaar staged a dazzling comeback. Medvedev, who had never reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, started out Put him at a disadvantage.
Medvedev missed four break points in the first set but grabbed one after a double fault by De Minaur to seal the victory.
Medvedev deftly varied the speed and height of his shots to take the Australian out of his rhythm, while De Minaur’s early work was surprisingly error-ridden, with 19 unforced errors.
De Minaur was more aggressive and took the initiative in the second game, but the game seemed to really change after the Russian took a medical timeout at midfield due to blisters on his feet.
When he resumed play, De Minaur stunned Medvedev with a searing backhand crosscourt winner that set up his first break, with the Russian offering only a frustrating lob In response.
It was the start of a remarkable seven-match run for the Australian, whose game blossomed in the sunshine and was full of variety, including some deft lobs that put Medvedev in real trouble for the first time.
De Minaur led 3-0 in the third set and was cheered on by young lads in the stands, saying the passionate shouts he received during his win over Jan-Lennard Straff gave him life, and then won the game 6-1.
When Medvedev, who had lost 11 of his previous 12 games, finally came back into action early in the fourth to break De Minaur, it looked like he was no longer frustrated and could regroup, but the Australian The pressure continued and the inside was thundering.
