Demon on brink of incredible 20-year reality for Australia as iconic event lands big gun

As Alex de Minaur turns his focus to ending a 50 year drought for local men at the Australian Open, his hopes of breaking into the top five for the first time rest on the result of a match to be played in Hong Kong on Saturday night.

The Sydney-raised star will head to Melbourne for a preparation that includes an exhibition against Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday night after rounding out the United Cup with a strong 6-4 4-6 6-4 win over Hubert Hurkacz on Friday night.

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The 26-year-old started the teams competition slowly when beaten by three-time major finalist Casper Ruud but rebounded with solid victories over Jakub Mensik and Hurkacz, who are both outstanding players.

De Minaur, who will pick up 80 ranking points for his deeds in Sydney, was denied the chance to secure the No.5 ranking with actions after the Aussies fell to Poland 2-1 in a quarterfinal last night and must instead sweat on the semi-final in Hong Kong.

If Russian star Andrey Rublev defeats former Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti, he will be the first Australian man since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006 to hold a top five ranking leading into his home grand slam.

While preparatory events will unfold in Adelaide and Hobart, the major stars are Melbourne-bound to acclimatise to conditions in the Kooyong Classic and in exhibitions at Melbourne Park, which also hosts AO qualifying this week.

Alcaraz and double-defending AO champion Jannik Sinner will play a lucrative exhibition in Korea on Saturday, with both men pocketing more money for a hit-and-giggle than the AO runner-up will receive, before heading to Melbourne.

10-time champion Novak Djokovic withdrew from Adelaide, saying he was not quite physically ready to play the event, but will further his preparations at Melbourne Park.

Australian Open finalist Alexander Zverev will seek to sharpen his hopes of clinching a maiden major after making a late request to join the cavalcade of stars at Kooyong next week, it will be confirmed later on Saturday.

Desperate for match play as he seeks to find his best touch after falling to Sinner in last year’s decider, Zverev’s appearance is a coup for Kooyong.

The return of the boutique event this year after a sabbatical in 2025 adds to the opportunities on offer for the leading grand slam contenders to find their best form while extending their stay in Melbourne.

The world No.3 has opted for further matches in an event where Nick Kyrgios will play on Tuesday after Germany’s United Cup campaign fell flat, with the three-time grand slam finalist splitting his two singles.

Kooyong serves as the only venue where Kyrgios will play singles in Melbourne after he opted to concentrate in doubles in the Australian Open after a success in 2022.

Kooyong Classic tournament director Peter Johnston described the presence of Zverev as a boost for the lead-in event featuring several top-tier talents including Alexander Bublik, an enigmatic star who will play in Hong Kong tonight.

Johnston said Kyrgios, who opted out of accepting an AO wildcard with a view to building the fitness necessary to be able to compete in grand slam tournaments, remains a drawcard with a strong Aussie fanbase.

Kyrgios will partner at Melbourne Park with another Aussie on the comeback trail in Thanasi Kokkinakis as they seek to clinch a second Australian Open doubles crowd after their triumph in 2022.

“Nick is obviously trying to win the Aussie Open doubles again and this is preparation is perfect for him,” Johnston told foxsports.com.au

“We have got an amazing player line-up but when we announced Nick would be playing, it really moved the dial in terms of tickets. We have a cavalcade of stars but we really appreciate his box office value.”

Kooyong also serves as the preparatory event for breakthrough star Alexandra Eala ahead of her Australian Open debut next week, with the exciting left-hander arriving in form.

A protege of the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, the 20-year-old became the first Filipino to break into the top 50 and demonstrated her prowess when upsetting six-time major winner Iga Swiatek on the way to the semi-finals at the prestigious Miami Open last year.

Such is the hype surrounding Eala, who has played superbly in Auckland this week, the women’s tour has moved to establish a WTA event in Manila given the size of the market and she is certain to draw big attendances in Melbourne.

“She is a huge draw. When she was playing in Hong Kong in October, we had queues of more than 100 metres long from local Filipinos wanting to see her,” Johnston, a former senior WTA executive who is the tournament director for Hong Kong events, said.

“She is a breakout star and we have had a massive amount of interest in her appearance next week.”

It shapes as a fascinating Australian Open for Zverev, who left Melbourne last year with a legitimate chance of becoming the world’s No.1 ranked man when Sinner was banned for three months for a breach of anti-doping rules.

But the former US Open, Roland Garros and 2025 AO finalist, who is considered the best player without a grand slam title, failed to capitalise on the opportunity during the South American swing in February.

The 28-year-old reached the last eight at Roland Garros, an event where he lost in five sets to Alcaraz in the 2024 final, but tailed off in the majors after that in uncharacteristic fashion.

He fell to Hurkacz, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist on the comeback trail who last night pushed de Minaur to the brink and will also feature at Kooyong, in Sydney last week and will be seeking to sharpen his form at Kooyong.