Alex De Minaur has enjoyed a fine run thus far in the Miami Open and was not about to let it come to an end at the hands of Jan-Lennard Struff.
His draw thus far has been rather favourable, and on paper his upcoming opponent is unlikely to offer a spike in quality.
However, that is merely on the surface, as delving deeper it becomes clear why De Minaur has every right to be worried about this clash.
After all, few are as prolific at slaying giants as Fabian Marozsan, who he faces tonight.
Alex De Minaur thinks his Miami Open opponent is the favourite
The Australian ace, who is enjoying a fine start to the new season, would seek to preview his next opponent immediately after defeating Struff in straight sets.
His victory over the German, whilst the sets went the distance, was a comfortable one, in which he only faced a single break point.
However, despite his blistering form, which has already seen him reach two finals this year, winning one, he still makes Marozsan the favourite for their upcoming match later today.
He told Tennis.com: ‘Yeah well he’s definitely the favourite, he got me last time so I know exactly what to expect. He’s a hell of a player, he’s playing great and he’s super dangerous.
‘Hopefully, I can come out tomorrow and play some good tennis and we’ll see what happens.’
The reason behind his statement comes due to the Hungarian’s recent giant-killing ability, having won three of the four matches he has played against top-ten opposition.
The 57-ranked star beat Carlos Alcaraz at the Rome Masters last year, as well as both De Minaur and Casper Ruud in the Shanghai Masters too.
Alex De Minaur is enjoying an outstanding 2024
Despite the tough task that is laid out ahead of him, this has already been a stunning 2024 for the 25-year-old.
Kickstarting his campaign in Melbourne, a run to the fourth round of the Australian Open marked an admirable showing, where he was only defeated by the indomitable comeback spirit of Andrey Rublev.
He then reached the final of the ATP Rotterdam, only losing to the red-hot Jannik Sinner.
The Los Cabos Open marked an anomaly as he exited in the first round, before bouncing back in Acapulco to win the Mexican Open. A run to the Round of 16 in Indian Wells left many content too.
Now, De Minaur will want to convert these deep runs into more regular titles, and given his current trajectory that certainly seems a possibility.
However, he will have to overcome a real test if he is to achieve that in Miami.
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