Alex De Minaur strengthened his status as Australia leading men singles contender at the Australian Open after recording a straight sets victory over Frances Tiafoe to reach the fourth round for a fifth consecutive year.
The sixth seed defeated the American twenty ninth seed 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena, continuing his consistent run at his home Grand Slam and maintaining his positive head to head record against Tiafoe.
De Minaur entered the contest having won three of their previous four meetings, but the opening stages proved demanding. The Australian faced pressure on his serve in the seventh game of the first set before responding decisively by breaking in the following game and moving into control of the match.
With the opening set secured, De Minaur maintained his momentum in the second. His movement and defensive coverage were key as he earned an early break to take a 2 1 lead. Although there was a brief lapse later in the set, he recovered quickly and closed it out to move within one set of victory.
The third set produced the most resistance from Tiafoe. De Minaur broke early with a backhand winner struck from deep behind the baseline, but the American responded by raising his level and briefly edging ahead at 5 4. The home player remained composed, regaining the advantage before serving out the match.
Demon delivers 👹
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2026
The home town hero cruises past Tiafoe into the fourth round@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/MWyKqgsMVd
Reflecting on the contest, De Minaur said, “Frances is a hell of a competitor, a hell of a player and it was a hell of a battle.
“Huge respect to him. I played some of my best tennis in the tournament for two and a half sets, and he lifted his game when he needed it, started going big and got some big winners.
“I had to manage it. It was stressful in the end, but I am relieved I got over the line.”
The win placed De Minaur in rare company. He became only the second Australian man in the professional era to reach the last sixteen at the Australian Open in five consecutive years, following John Newcombe, who achieved the feat between 1969 and 1976.
Australia has not produced a men singles champion at the tournament since Mark Edmondson in 1976, a statistic that continues to frame public expectations. De Minaur, however, insists he is not allowing that history to weigh on him.
“In my brain, I do not associate playing in Australia as playing with pressure. I associate it with just excitement,” he said.
“Since I was a little kid, this is where I wanted to be and where I wanted to play, in front of packed crowds. I am truly fortunate to be in this position and yes, it gets stressful at times, but that is only because I want it so bad. So I will do my best.”
De Minaur will next attempt to reach the quarter finals of the Australian Open for the first time as he continues his campaign in Melbourne.
