Decked out in all-black garb designed for after dark delights in the city that never sleeps, Alex de Minaur overcame testing conditions and a tricky opponent to become the sole Australian man to progress to the third round of the US Open.
Twice a quarterfinalist in New York, de Minaur was challenged early by Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, particularly on serve on an unusually cool night at Flushing Meadows. But his class shone through with a 6-2 6-4 6-2 triumph in a match lasting two hours.
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The No. 8 seed, whose brilliant court coverage and thunderous forehand ultimately sapped the emerging Japanese talent, will play the winner of a clash between dual-major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas or German Daniel Altmaier.
“Thank you to everyone who stayed. I know it is late. I know it is cold. We got a little bit of rain here, but it was great to hear the Aussies in the crowd,” he said.
“I feel great here in New York. It has treated me very well through the years. The more matches I am playing here in New York, the better. That is the plan.
“We are all incredible athletes out here, so I am sure (whoever I play) will be ready for the next match. It is going to be a battle. But all eyes will be on myself to recover and come back for another battle.”
After the triumph, as well as discussing the initial test offered by an opponent who loved coming to the net and was highly competitive, de Minaur was drawn into a discussion about his fashion tastes including the after-dark line he is wearing.
Stars including dual-grand slam finalist Jasmine Paolini have begged him for merchandise from his “Unleash the Demon” line, with the Italian earning a hoodie for her efforts, while the Australian said he had needed to up his game since dating Katie Boulter.
“It is New York and it is pretty hard to go wrong out here. That is what is exciting, instead of having the same colours, the same patterns, you can go out there a little bit more in New York,” he said.
“I’ve never been a very flashy guy, a guy who wears a brand because of the name itself. It is something that, over the years, I’ve had to kind of elevate a little bit more since I’ve been going out with Katie. I can’t really go out on date night in my sweats, so I have had to elevate m fashion game.”
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de Minaur was victorious on Court 17, a stadium that has earned notoriety in recent years given the wafts of marijuana smoke that can be smelt from people indulging in the adjoining Corona Park.
Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud are among stars to have expressed their preference for a smoke-free environment, but there is little US Open officials can do in this regard given the substance is legal to use in New York and those doing so are outside the grounds.
“You can definitely feel it. It’s not like you can’t — actually, you feel it more than anywhere else,” Djokovic told Serbian reporters.
“Some people are more bothered, some less. I’m not a fan of that smell either, actually stench. But it’s allowed here, and somehow you just have to accept it the way it is. You feel it everywhere, from practice to the match … that’s just how it is.”
Ruud, who exited the tournament in the second round, declared it the worst thing about visiting the Big Apple.
“For me, this is the worst thing about New York. The smell is everywhere, even here on the courts,” he told Norwegian press.
“We have to accept it, but it’s not my favourite smell. It’s quite annoying to be playing, tired, and just meters away, someone is smoking marijuana. We can’t do anything about it unless the law is reversed, but I have strong doubts that will happen.”
Wafts could be smelt during Daria Kasatkina’s triumph on the court the match prior to de Minaur’s outing, but it was less evident when he was playing, which is not necessarily surprising given the cool conditions and also the late evening finish.
The only Joint seemingly in action by the time de Minaur finished was his compatriot Maya Joint, who was playing against Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
But the Aussies in attendance were loud and behind the court patrons sitting in a party bar overhanging Court 17 were also enjoying what proved to be an entertaining match.
De Minaur was more concerned about playing so late, with extended matches earlier in the day meaning he got on to court more than seven hours after he began his preparations and almost six hours after he arrived on site at Flushing Meadows.
“It was a long day. It is one of the toughest things in our sport but ultimately I’ve learned to not get too stressed about it,” he said.
“It doesn’t help if you are constantly stressed out and using up valuable energy that you’re going to need later in a match.”
Mochizuki certainly had his chances early in a match that was tighter than the score suggested. In the first set alone he held 11 break points without managing to snare one, before rattling off two breaks in what was an even more competitive second set.
But as the match progressed, the 10-time ATP Tour title winner’s fitness and class came to the fore as he ran rings around his rival at the death.
As a case in point, with Mochizuki holding game point to level with the Davis Cup star at 3-all in the third set, de Minaur’s fabled court speed enabled him to chase down several shots before he ultimately drew a smash error from his rival.
The extended effort broke the world No. 112. A point later he double-faulted before overhitting a forehand to concede the break, with de Minaur eventually clinching the final four games of the match.
“I think the result was straightforward but it felt like quite a complicated match. I had to navigate a tricky opponent who played some very good tennis at times,” he said.
“In a way, I just had to weather the storm and use my experience and back my level in over the long run.”
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