Alex De Minaur will make his top ten debut after defeating Alexander Zverev 5-7 6-3 6-4 at the United Cup.
The Australian came back from a set down as he defeated the world number seven in three sets.
It was a victory that levelled the tie after Angelique Kerber’s win over Ajla Tomljanovic earlier in the day.
After the match De Minaur spoke about the home atmosphere and praised Zverev’s qualities as a competitor, “I love being back home. Thank you guys!” De Minaur told the ATP website.
“I’ve said it before, but every time I step out on court here it feels special. This is my favourite court in the whole world and every time I step out here I get goosebumps. I love being here and I’m very grateful for all the support.
“I hung in there. Sascha is a hell of a competitor. He’s a hell of a player and he was just being too good for me. I managed to get out of jail a little bit in that second set, a couple break points and then I just freed up a little bit and all of a sudden got a couple cheap errors from him late in the second set and all of a sudden the whole momentum changed, the crowd got behind and I just tried to ride the wave.”
Not only did the victory mean levelling the tie for Australia but it meant a major personal milestone for De Minaur as he is into the world’s top ten for the first time in his career.
It was De Minaur’s third consecutive win over a top ten player after beating Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic earlier in the week and it now means he is the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006 to become a top ten player.
However De Minaur has remained grounded and explained there is more to come in the future, “It’s what I’ve worked so hard for,” De Minaur said after the match.
“It’s another milestone. But the job’s not done. I’m going to enjoy this Aussie summer, that’s for sure.”
Should Australia win the mixed doubles match against Germany then De Minaur will face Hubert Hurkacz in his final match of the week tomorrow.
