Alex de Minaur has become the first Australian man for 20 years to reach the last eight at the French Open after beating a weary Daniil Medvedev in four sets.
The 25-year-old came into the match having won only two out of his eight previous meetings against the Russian fifth seed. Nevertheless, he battled to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3, win over Medvedev who was physically struggling on the court and swiftly imploded after having a medical time-out during the second set.
As for de Minaur, the win is a breakthrough moment in his career on the clay which is a surface he has yet to win an ATP title on. It is only the second time he has reached a Grand Slam quarter-final after the 2020 US Open.
“It was a great atmosphere. I didn’t expect to be in the quarterfinals here at Roland Garros,” said de Minaur.
“I didn’t play very well on clay over the last couple of years. So it’s kind of surprising for me.”
Monday’s clash was a tale of two very different halves. Medvedev, who was playing in the fourth round in Paris for the third time in his career, had the upper hand early on. Breaking in the third game before sealing the opener in just over 50 minutes.
However, things began to unravel for him early in the second frame when he took a medical time out at 2-3 for blister treatment on his foot. When play resumed, the former US Open champion struggled with his shot-making as de Minaur went on to win nine out of the next 10 games played. There were also indications that Medvedev could have also struggled with an issue in his torso region but he didn’t have any treatment in that area.
Fortunately for the crowd, the match got competitive in the fourth set with both players standing firm behind their service games until De Minaur struck once again. A blistering forehand winner from the world No.11 enabled him to break for a 4-3 lead. Two games later he sealed victory on his first match point after Medvedev hit a double fault.
“I know against Daniil it is always very tactical when we are playing,” he said.
“You have to defend well and change the way you play the ball. If it is difficult for me to explain (when speaking in French) but I’m so happy to have won today. “
It is the first time de Minaur has beaten a top five player in a Grand Slam and it is the third time he has done so on the Tour this season. Previously, he had beaten Novak Djokovic at the United Cup and Andrey Rublev in Rotterdam.
He will next play either Casper Ruud or Taylor Fritz. Regardless of the outcome, de Minaur’s run at the French Open is the best by an Australian man since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
