The US Open is set for its all-Aussie showdown with countrymen Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson squaring off on Tuesday (AEST) for a spot in the quarter finals.
The No.10 seeded de Minaur and Thompson, who will move to a career-high ranking in the 20s regardless of today’s result, will do battle in Louis Armstrong Stadium with the winner to play Britain’s Jack Draper on Thursday AEST.
The pair have known each other since they were teenagers, with Thompson, 30, regularly given a compatriot five years his junior a ride to the gym and tennis courts in Sydney.
Today, de Minaur is the world No.10 and seeking to reach his third grand slam quarterfinal in succession after runs to the last eight at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. He also reached the quarterfinals at the US Open in 2020.
Meanwhile, Thompson has been quietly enjoying his own surge having enjoyed a career-high ranking of 30 earlier this year, while he now sits at 32. He claimed his maiden ATP Tour title earlier this year in Mexico and is through to the 4th Rd in New York for the second time.
De Minaur leads the head-to-head between the Davis Cup mates 4-1 and has won all three of their hard court matches, the most recent coming in Miami two years ago.
But Thompson, who defeated world No.7 Hubert Hurkacz and No.30 seed Matteo Arnaldi in the past two rounds, is in the best form of his career and is yet to drop a set so far.
A highly competitive, intriguing outing is expected.
Follow all the action in our live blog below!
PREVIEW: The ‘big bro-little bro’ history behind all-Aussie blockbuster as classy ‘mentor’ act revealed
Watch selected NRL, AFL, SSN games plus every F1 qualifying session and race live in 4K on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial today.
THIRD SET
Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has adopted a neutral position to watch the all-Australian clash Alex de Minaur currently leads against Jordan Thompson 6-0 4-6 6-3 as their 4th Rd match edges towards the two hour mark.
The 2001 US Open champion has sat in the supporters box for the combatants three previous matches this year but is sitting in the stands among regular fans for this match.
The duo’s former Davis Cup teammates Nick Kyrgios and John Millman are also keeping a close eye on proceedings, with the pair swapping notes on social media about the match.
De Minaur, meanwhile, put a moment of misfortune behind him early in the set to regain the ascendancy as he seeks to make the last eight in New York for the second time.
He did well to retain his focus after the controvrsial moment at 1-2 when Thompson lost his hat as he was in pursuit of a magnificent lob from de Minaur at 30-all in the game.
It was unfortunate for de Minaur, who was in a dominant position to win a point that would have given him a chance to break, but the hindrance ruling meant it had to be stopped.
de Minaur engaged in an animated discussion with the umpire as he sought clarification for the decision.
Thompson, who had made two successive errors, was able to make the most of the lucky break when winning a replay of the point on the way to squaring the set.
But the reprieve for the older Australian did not last long with de Minaur, who did not let the disappointment rattle him, playing a brilliant game to seize the first service break of the set to move ahead 4-2.
On break point, he was able to extend Thompson with well placed passing shot attempts before chipping a forehand into the open court.
The Spanish-based Sydneysider was dominant when landing his first serve in the set, winning 14 of the 15 points where he made the delivery. He won 30 of the 48 points in the third set.
SECOND SET
Having ended Alex de Minaur’s exceptional run of 18 straight games in a grand slam – the first 12 of those occurring against Dan Evans on Saturday night in New York – by holding serve to start the second set, Jordan Thompson has surged back into their Rd of 16 clash.
Thompson, who will be ranked inside the top 30 for the first time in his career regardless of the result against de Minaur, was able to find the range and consistency from the baseline that saw him defeat seeded players Hukacz and Arnaldi in the previous two rounds.
This, in turn, enabled him to work his rival around more frequently in points and also get forward into the court, with Thompson arguably at his most comfortable when attacking and at the net.
So it proved in the sixth game of the set when Thompson, having failed to land a glove on his rival’s serve in five prior attempts, produced a brilliant game to break for the first time. de Minaur will rue letting slip a 40-0 lead in the game as it allowed his rival into the match.
After whipping a forehand winner cross court past de Minaur to bring up a break point, he seized the momentum by working into the net and punching away a volley to move to a 4-2 lead.
To his credit, he was then able to withstand the sustained pressure from the 2020 US Open quarterfinalist on his own serve to level the match at 0-6 6-4, with the opening two sets taking just 1hr 5mmin.
FIRST SET
Alex de Minaur has produced a dream start in his 4th Rd clash against compatriot by clinching the first six games in rapid fashion.
The opening set of a one-sided affair lasted only 29 minutes as the nine-time ATP Tour title winner clinched the set 6-0 against Thompson, who had been in the form of his life prior to the outing.
Having clinched the final two sets of his 3rd Rd clash against Dan Evans 6-0 6-0, the Australian star has now won 18 games in succession at grand slam level, which is an extraordinary streak.
The atmosphere courtside in Louis Armstrong Stadium differs from what is already a challenging environment for players at the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre. Everything is accentuated in what is the second biggest stadium court in Flushing Meadows.
A design that allows the stadium to breathe – there is a gap at either end of the court that separates the lower and upper tiers and allows the wind to circulate – adds a complexity for players.
At court level, the wind can get in and swirl and the gusts around the grounds and in the stadium were notable.
The buzz of noise is also relentless. People queuing for a beer or food at the concourse restaurants chatter and that filters down into the court.
It is also closer to the Long Island Rail Road, which runs behind the tournament site, which means the rattling of carriages and whistles from the train is more apparent than elsewhere.
And the smells from the restaurants surrounding the court waft down into the stands. Heaven help a hungry fan trying to see out a five set match.
In short, it takes getting used to and De Minaur, in this regard, has far more experience on this court than Thompson.
As a teenager in a five set outing against former US Open champion Marin Cilic that finished at 2.22am, de Minaur had the capacity crowd chanting “Demon. Demon. DeeeMON!”
Last year, on this court and at the same stage, he played brilliantly for the opening two sets against another former winner in Daniil Medvedev, only to hit the wall in scorching heat.
And, having reached at least the last 16 in eight of the last 12 majors, he is also experienced in playing in the second week.
Thompson, by contrast, has performed superbly this week and has the experience of playing on Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris against Rafael Nadal and Centre Court against Wimbledon against Novak Djokovic.
But for the reasons above, Louis Armstrong Stadium is a court that takes some getting used to. And it was the No.10 seed de Minaur who benefited from past experience early on.
Serving first, Thompson struck a double-fault and shanked a forehand in a tentative start which saw a game point go begging as he immediately conceded a break to his mate.
The variety of his serving and the quality of his all-court game had troubled Hurkacz and Arnaldi in his two most recent wins but he was unable to faze de Minaur with this weapon.
From the outset, the 30-year-old gestured towards his coach Marinko Matosevic, pleading with him to provide a solution to the test being set by the No.1 Australian.
The world No.10, meanwhile, settled in immediately and played with poise. For the first six games, he played a level far above his rival.
Having entered the US Open under an injury cloud with the hip that forced him to withdraw from the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, he is getting better and better with every match.
While Thompson was below par in the opening set, de Minaur was superb in every facet, as the statistics demonstrate. He won 26 of the 36 points played against an opponent who, having been so steady in the first week, made 12 unforced errors while hitting one winner.
LIVE BLOG
Click here if you cannot see the live blog below!
Gauff US Open defence over | 00:54