Alex de Minaur was overjoyed after his four set victory against Daniil Medvedev at the French Open earlier today.
De Minaur dropped the first set against Medvedev, but then his plucky spirit started to turn the contest in his favour.
Medvedev was forced to call on the trainer midway through the second set to receive some treatment for blisters and that appeared to be the beginning of the end of the Russian.
The world number five looked out of sorts from that moment on, with his movement restricted, as De Minaur went on to dominate.
He took the next three sets without really being troubled to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3.
At the end of the match De Minaur strode towards the centre of the court and and let out an almighty roar.
He first directed some praise his team, before shouting at the crowd ‘I love it here, I absolutely love it’.
Some much needed French Open positivity
It’s fair to say that De Minaur’s effusive praise of the French Open hasn’t exactly been unanimously felt so far this week.
While the wet weather has put a dampener on things, plenty of other controversies have taken place.
David Goffin criticised the French crowd for their behaviour during his match, while tournament director Amelie Mauresmo also banned alcohol at the ground after some unruly behaviour in the early rounds.
The scheduling at the tournament has also come under fire, with Novak Djokovic forced to play into the early hours during his thrilling five-set win over Lorenzo Musetti.
De Minaur’s experience with the supporters at the French Open has been an altogether more positive one, though.
He found a young super-fan during his third round match, who he then invited back to watch his win over Medvedev, after seeing his passion on social media.
De Minaur’s French Open record
Interestingly De Minaur’s record at the French Open prior to this year hasn’t been particularly positive.
Despite having a game style which should suit the clay, given his movement around the court, he has struggled to make it beyond even the second round previously.
With his win over Medvedev, he has now become the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.
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