ATP Tour
De Minaur continues Australian Open dream: ‘I want it so bad’
Aussie No. 1 is into the fourth round for the fifth consecutive year
January 23, 2026
2026 Peter Staples
Alex de Minaur defeats Frances Tiafoe in straight sets on Friday at the Australian Open.
By Jerome Coombe
Alex de Minaur’s love affair with the Australian Open continued on Friday night, when he powered into the fourth round for the fifth consecutive year.
The No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings dropped serve just once in his 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win over Frances Tiafoe under the lights at Rod Laver Arena. With the victory, De Minaur became just the second Australian man to reach the last 16 at Melbourne Park in five consecutive years, joining former World No. 1 John Newcombe, who achieved the feat on eight straight occasions between 1969 and 1976.
“In my brain, I don’t associate playing in Australia as playing with pressure, I associate it with excitement,” De Minaur said. “Since I was a kid, this is where I wanted to be: in front of packed crowds. I’m truly fortunate to be in this position. Yes, it gets stressful at times, but that’s only because I want it so bad.”
Hometown hero 🗣️🗣️🗣️@alexdeminaur continues his #AO26 campaign with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 win over Tiafoe 💪 @AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/SIFG4L4gIF
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 23, 2026
Now one win away from a potential quarter-final showdown with World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, De Minaur will face Alexander Bublik or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the fourth round.
“It was a hell of a battle, so huge respect to him,” said De Minaur, who improved to 4-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Tiafoe. “I played some of my best tennis in the tournament for two-and-a-half sets, and he just lifted it when he needed it… I just had to manage it. It was quite stressful at the end, but I’m very relieved I got over the line.”
