Alex de Minaur has stormed into the US Open quarter-finals with a straight-sets demolition of world No.435 Leandro Riedi.
The eighth seed from Australia took just 93 minutes to dispatch the qualifier from Switzerland with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 rout on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
De Minaur’s clash with Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime will be his sixth grand slam quarter-final.
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He is yet to win one but is the favourite against the 25th seed Auger-Aliassime.
Auger-Aliassime holds a 2-1 career record against de Minaur.
„Super proud of what I’m doing and ultimately this is where I want to be,“ de Minaur said.
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„I want to be playing for big titles, I want to be in contention. I’m putting myself in the right places. I’ve got another great opportunity coming up in the quarter-finals.
„I’m going to go out there and have a swing.“
As per usual, the understated de Minaur is flying under the radar in New York.
Alex de Minaur of Australia reacts while playing against Daniel Altmaier of Germany. Getty
Despite his high ranking and also reaching the quarter-finals of the 2020 and 2024 US Opens, organisers made him play his second and third round matches on Court 17 – the smallest of the four stadium venues in the precinct.
„It is a little of a head scratcher for me, I’m not gonna lie,“ de Minaur said after beating Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in the third round.
„I’ve got nothing against Court 17, I’ve played some good matches on that court, but I kind of felt like maybe I could have played on a bigger court.
Alex de Minaur of Australia looks on against Leandro Riedi of Switzerland. Getty
„But, hey, the way I kind of look at these things when things kind of don’t play out the way I want them is just, I’ve got to win more matches, right?
„If I win enough matches, I’m sure I’ll play on bigger courts.“
Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, said stepping back onto Arthur Ashe Stadium „felt even better than the first time“ as he returned to the quarter-finals with a composed 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev.
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany. Getty
The 25-year-old, reaching his first major quarter-final since the 2022 Australian Open, kept his cool to notch his second victory in nine meetings with the Russian.
The Canadian admitted the moment carried extra weight after battling injuries and dips in confidence since his 2021 breakthrough semi-final run at Flushing Meadows.
„Today is my first time playing Arthur Ashe in a few years. It feels even better than the first time,“ Auger-Aliassime said.
„In ’21, I was on my way back and had a few setbacks and injuries, struggles with confidence. To come back here for the second time, it feels better and more deserved. I’m soaking in every moment here.“
Coming off a stunning win over world number three Alexander Zverev, Auger-Aliassime credited his mental approach for back-to-back statement victories.
„It is always a battle, and it was important for me to stay ahead and keep putting pressure on to the last point,“ he said.
„In those tight moments, you want to come with the right state of mind. There’s a lot of excitement around in our world today, but on the court, we need to be calm-headed in those big pressure moments.“
The result sends Auger-Aliassime into his fourth career major quarter-final, as he looks to mirror his 2021 run to the semis, where he fell to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev.
– with Reuters
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