Alex de Minaur has shifted up a gear to motor into the Australian Open second week and arrange a possible fourth-round blockbuster with nine-times champion Novak Djokovic.
De Minaur dominated Benjamin Bonzi from the get-go and raced to a 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 6-1 victory after breaking the Frenchman’s resistance in a first-set tiebreaker.
Dazzling the Rod Laver Arena crowd along with his velocity and vitality, Australia’s twenty second seed broke Bonzi seven occasions all through the two-hour, eight-minute mismatch to set to stage for a probable Monday evening showdown with Djokovic.
The Serbian famous person will play Grigor Dimitrov in a while Saturday evening, a scorching favorite to assert a thirty seventh consecutive win in Australia since his final defeat towards Hyeon Chung within the third spherical of the 2018 Open.
After easing to a four-set second-round win over Adrian Mannarino, de Minaur seemed a person on a mission on Saturday.
He hammered 33 winners, common a complete of twenty-two break factors and closed out his closing service sport to like along with his seventh and eighth aces in a scientific show.
“I’m very happy, I can’t lie,” de Minaur instructed the centre-court crowd.
“Look, honestly, as a kid this is what you train for, to be playing on this court in front of you guys on one of the biggest stages of the world. Every time I get out here I have to pinch myself.”
