Tim Henman makes bold Alex de Minaur claim after watching him beat Frances Tiafoe

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Alex de Minaur’s Australian Open dream is still alive!

The home favorite booked his place in the fourth round, as De Minaur defeated Frances Tiafoe in straight sets.

De Minaur played some excellent tennis on Rod Laver Arena, raising his level when it mattered the most.

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Playing some truly world-class tennis, De Minaur is now just four wins away from a maiden Grand Slam title.

Impressed with his performance, British tennis legend Tim Henman made a bold claim about the Aussie number one on commentary for TNT Sports.

Tim Henman says Alex de Minaur is playing some of the best tennis he’s ever played

“You can certainly see what it means to Alex de Minaur coming through that,” said Henman.

“The first two sets was some of the best tennis I’ve ever seen from him.

“He was so good.”

Henman then reflected on the final moments of the match, where Tiafoe threatened to force a third-set tiebreak.

“He had his opportunities in the third; it got a little complicated, but that is credit to this man in your picture, [Frances] Tiafoe, never let his head drop, he kept fighting, broke back, had chances to break back in that final game,” he said.

“De Minaur will be absolutely delighted to get through that, and somewhat relieved.”

Henman also took a moment to recognise Tiafoe’s efforts, as he played his part in what was a brilliant match.

“To be early on in the season, winning matches…” he said.

“His level of tennis was good. De Minaur was just that little bit better with that home crowd support.

“But if he continues in this vein, and is diligent day in, day out, and has that intensity on the practice court, there’s no doubt he can’t be back in the top 20 pretty soon.

“This will add fuel to the fire, this will motivate him, for sure, he wants to be out on the big stage, in the biggest events, playing against the top players.”

Tiafoe currently sits 29th in the Live ATP Rankings, having once been ranked as high as 10th in the world.

Live ATP Rankings

He’ll have a chance to make another push towards the top 20 when he returns to ATP Tour action at the Dallas Open.

Tiafoe will compete in Dallas as the number-eight seed when the tournament begins on Monday, February 9.

While Tiafoe looks ahead to his next tournament, De Minaur will have his sights firmly set on the Australian Open fourth round.

Alex de Minaur is a genuine title contender

De Minaur will play either Alexander Bublik or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the fourth round.

Both players would be tricky, but with the home crowd on his side, De Minaur shouldn’t fear anyone in the draw.

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There’s something about De Minaur this year that feels different.

When listening to him in on-court interviews or post-match press conferences, there’s a bit more belief in his voice than perhaps we heard in previous years.

It’s a cliche we hear often, that players are willing to ‘leave it all out on the court’, but with De Minaur, you really can see him giving 110% every time he makes the walk out onto Rod Laver Arena.

He’ll need to give 110% and then some, if he is to go all the way in Melbourne.

De Minaur would likely meet the top seed, Carlos Alcaraz, in the last eight.

He trails their head-to-head 5-0 and has only ever won two sets against the Spaniard.

Alex de Minaur and Carlos Alcaraz’s head-to-head record

The Aussie would certainly be up against it should they meet in the quarters, but he won’t want to worry himself about that just yet.

First, De Minaur will play Bublik or Etcheverry in the fourth round on Sunday, January 25.