Alex de Minaur was knocked out of the Australian Open quarterfinals by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.
Going into the match, De Minaur had already struggled against Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, losing all 18 of his previous meetings with them.
The world number six was hoping to turn things around in Melbourne, especially as he was the last Australian left in this year’s singles draw.
But he couldn’t break that streak, falling to Alcaraz again and stretching his run without a win against the top two players on the ATP Tour to 19 matches.
Alex de Minaur speaks out on ‘step forward’ after Carlos Alcaraz defeat
Alcaraz took the win over De Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1, marking his sixth straight victory in their head-to-head and taking 11 of the last 13 sets they’ve played.
Even so, De Minaur managed to break Alcaraz’s serve twice in the opening set. Afterward, he was asked whether he felt he had become more fearless during high-pressure moments.
“Yeah,” De Minaur responded in his post-match press conference. “I mean, I’ve got to take something out of it, right, if not — and that’s it.
“Of course, look, in terms of mentality or the way I committed to hitting the ball today, it’s what I set out to do. I just can’t really execute it. I didn’t really execute it for the whole match.
“There were some good parts out there, but overall, I’m playing out of my comfort zone and at times out of my skin. Of course for me to take that next step I’ve got to be comfortable in playing that sort of way for the whole match.”
De Minaur has lost all seven meetings against Sinner and is now also winless against Alcaraz after six matches. It’s a record that points toward just how far apart they still are from a matchup standpoint.
The world number six spoke about what makes both players so difficult to face:
“I think probably more than anything is that they’ve got something extra,” said De Minaur.
What’s on the horizon for Alex de Minaur following his Australian Open exit?
De Minaur has a bit of time before he needs to step back into competition, giving him a chance to regroup and refocus.
His next appearance will be at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, where he’s been named the third seed.
This is a tournament where he has found success before, with De Minaur losing to Alcaraz in last year’s final, and Sinner in the final the year before.
This year’s field looks strong again. Alcaraz is expected to return, along with Alexander Zverev, who will enter as the second seed.
The Rotterdam Open starts on February 9 for all three players: Alcaraz, Zverev and De Minaur. And it will be interesting to see how far the Aussie can go this time around.
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