Alex de Minaur’s gut-wrenching defeat means bleak Aussie run continues at home slam
No matter how much Alex de Minaur screeched and sprinted, from side-to-side with trademark velocity and determination, you always felt the admirable Australian No 1 was going to fall just short come the end. This fourth-round clash against fifth seed Andrey Rublev was always going to be swashbuckling – if that needed any more clarity, its night-time billing at the Rod Laver Arena over 10-time champion Novak Djokovic forecasted something close to a thriller down under. De Minaur spoke in the build-up of “earning the right” to fill that match-of-the-day slot.
But forget the day: this clash was the match of the so far.
