Alex de Minaur will have the chance to advance to a maiden Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday.
The world number six booked his place in a second consecutive Australian Open quarterfinal after a dominant display against Alexander Bublik.
De Minaur defeated Bublik in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1, to set up a last-eight bout with Carlos Alcaraz, whom he has never faced at a major before.
What does Alex de Minaur need to change to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Throughout the tournament so far, the Australian has dropped just one set, which came in his second-round clash with Hamad Medjedovic.
As he continues to impress Down Under, de Minaur is hoping to get rid of a ‘narrative’ that he claims has been surrounding him for a while.
Alex de Minaur reacts after making the Australian Open quarterfinals
“I’m just showing the people that I have improved,” said the home hope in his post-match press conference.
“I’ve got more to give. Yeah, I got tired of the narrative that these big hitters can take the racket out of my hands.
“Yeah, over the years I have kept on improving. I have kept on getting more and more out of myself.
“One of the things I have been constantly wanting to get to is exactly that, when I’m playing big hitters, not be a punching bag for them ultimately and really show them that I can go toe-to-toe with them and actually dictate and get them moving. That’s the most effective way to play these big guys.”
“Ultimately, very happy that I’m able to execute that. And, yeah, the last couple of matches is some of the best ball striking I have had here at the AO. So very, very pleased with that.”
In their previous Grand Slam match at Roland Garros in 2025, Bublik came back from two sets down to beat de Minaur.
“That was not a match I’m known for,” said de Minaur. “So it was a tough one to take, and, you know, he’s obviously been playing some incredible tennis.
“Then we played in Bercy. Not Bercy. Well, in [the] Paris Masters at the end of the year. And he beat me in a tough, three-set match playing some incredible tennis, right? Hey, I just had to cop that loss.
“But of course, going into this one, I kind of wanted my revenge. I knew what to expect and what I didn’t do right the first couple [of] times.
“I was very pleased with getting over the line and, yeah, not getting into trouble, right, because he can so easily get back into a match, slap a couple of winners, and all of a sudden, like, the match just goes sideways.
“So I was very happy to be in control of that one.”
Alex de Minaur says he has one of the ‘toughest tasks ahead’
De Minaur has never beaten his next opponent, Alcaraz, and trails in the head-to-head 5-0.
When asked how important it is for him to be fresh for their sixth career meeting, de Minaur said: “Yeah, 100%. I mean, I’ve got one of the toughest tasks ahead, right? So I’m going to make sure that I bring everything I’ve got.
“It does help out that I’m feeling quite fresh, and it’s going to be a physical battle, right, because there are many, many things that Carlos does incredibly well on a tennis court, and one of that is making the rallies quite physical.
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“He’s got the ability to not only, you know, hit the ball incredibly well and try to hit you off the court at times, but also extend rallies.
“So there could be some grueling exchanges. We both have shown that in the couple of matches that we have played. So this will be the first time playing a Grand Slam match, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come. Hopefully it’s going to be a battle and it’s going to be a long one.”
De Minaur’s last meeting with Alcaraz was at the 2025 ATP Finals, where the six-time major champion won in straight sets.
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