Alex de Minaur has booked his place in the Australian Open fourth round with a grueling 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
It marks the 4th consecutive year in which de Minaur has reached the second week at Melbourne Park; a feat not achieved by an Australian man since Phil Dent (1979-1982).
From the outset, it was clear that 'Demon' was in for a battle, with Cerundolo obliterating anything remotely short on his forehand wing.
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After dropping the opener, the Aussie continued to avoid the Argentine's major weapon and was able to work his way into the match, despite playing far from his best level.
"By no means was it pretty...but I found a way and that’s all that matters," de Minaur said.
Throughout the match, the 25-year-old was only able to land 49% of his first serves, combined with sixty-two unforced errors, but can take confidence in his ability to navigate a four-set victory.
"That's all I need to do in these types of moments: find a way to get through the first week."
De Minaur hit back in the second set, surviving a nervous hold of serve at 5-6; a game marked by a vital reflex volley at 0-15.
"That was potentially a game-changer right there. I wasn't feeling comfortable out there. I felt like things weren't really going my way.
"Then all of a sudden I made contact with the ball off a net cord and reflexed it over the line in a pretty big moment...it was definitely a difference-maker."
The Aussie then played a quality tiebreak to crucially avoid a two-sets-to-love deficit; one which he has never overcome in twenty-one attempts.
Drawing on the capacity Rod Laver Arena crowd, the Aussie rose his level in the third to take command of the encounter.
But it wasn’t until late in the fourth set that the Australian fans were treated to the true Alex de Minaur experience, witnessing a series of incredible points by 'Demon' to reel off the final three games of the match in incredible fashion.
If a single rally could illustrate the difficulty in winning a point against de Minaur, we saw it at 3-3 in the fourth set, retrieving two unimaginable balls to force a point-blank Cerundolo error.
The Argentine, visibly rattled by the 15-0 point, then made three loose errors, enabling de Minaur to secure the crucial break.
Holding his nerve, the Aussie broke again to close out the match and claim his first victory over a seeded opponent at Melbourne Park.
Demon - who has now won eighteen consecutive matches against players ranked outside the top-25 - will face American No.42 Alex Michelsen in the last 16.
"He's been playing really well. He's a dangerous opponent with a lot of confidence now.
"He's taken some big scalps this week, so ready for a battle."
Earlier on Saturday, fourth seed Taylor Fritz was stunned by 38-year-old Gael Monfils, leaving de Minaur among a series of dangerous but unseeded players currently having progressed in the top half of the men's draw.
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