Alex de Minaur’s quest to make an impact at the Australian Open has begun smoothly with a straight-sets win over Taiwanese qualifier Yu Hsiou Hsu during a chaotic day two at Melbourne Park.
Key points:
- De Minaur triumphed 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
- He will next face John Isner or Adrian Mannarino
- De Minaur is Australia’s top-ranked player in the men’s draw after Nick Kyrgios’s withdrawal
Play on the outside courts was suspended for almost three hours in the afternoon after tournament organisers were forced to implement their extreme heat policy, before rain wreaked havoc during the evening.
The wet weather saw de Minaur and Hsu briefly leave the court on John Cain Arena while the roof was closed, but it was nothing but a bump in the road for the energetic Australian, who triumphed 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the second round.
He will next face either veteran American John Isner or France’s Adrian Mannarino.
The evening rain frustrated de Minaur’s fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, whose match against Italian Fabio Fognini on the outside courts was suspended close to midnight AEDT.
The match was already behind schedule when the two players got on court before multiple rain delays left them hanging, with Kokkinakis on the verge of victory, leading 6-1, 6-2, 4-2.
Kokkinakis and Fognini will finish their encounter on Wednesday afternoon along with a host of other matches that were suspended because of the rain.
De Minaur is now the top-ranked local in the men’s draw following Nick Kyrgios’s withdrawal due to a knee injury, but if he is feeling any pressure, it was not evident on Tuesday night.
Granted, he was heavily favoured to beat the 209th-ranked Hsu, but it was still a confident display as he seeks to reach week two at Melbourne Park for the second consecutive year.
De Minaur’s trademark speed around the court was on show, while the world number 24 controlled points with solid groundstrokes and an effective serving performance.
The 23-year-old landed eight aces for the match, only served one double fault and allowed Hsu just a single break point, which went unconverted.
A double break helped de Minaur claim the first set and he repeated the dose in the second as he edged towards victory.
With mentors Lleyton Hewitt and Tony Roche watching on from the stands, de Minaur broke Hsu in the opening game of the third set, before doing enough to seal the result in a tick over two hours.
“I know that at times I’ve got some pressure on myself to deliver,” de Minaur told his post-match media conference.
“I take it with pride ultimately. Now, here at a grand slam [tournament], we’re in the second round.
“There’s still a long, long way to go. I try to look at it more as me individually and try to focus on my goals and get as deep as I can.
“That’s the plan. That’s the goal. Get deep, enjoy myself, and keep getting better every day.”
De Minaur arrived in Melbourne following a mixed United Cup campaign for Australia. A loss to world number 14 Cameron Norrie was followed up with a win over Rafael Nadal, his first over the 22-times major winner.
Speculation of a rift with Kyrgios does not seem to be affecting de Minaur’s focus, although there will be no chance of him flying under the radar now his high-profile countryman is on the sidelines.
De Minaur made the fourth round at last year’s Australian Open, his best finish to date at Melbourne Park.
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