Defiant De Minaur blunts Botic threat at Australian Open

Alex de Minaur toughed it out when it mattered most Tuesday at the Australian Open.

The eighth seed powered past Botic van de Zandschulp 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the second round in Melbourne for a seventh time. De Minaur withstood a mid-match rise in form from the World No. 84 and saved four of five break points he faced to improve to 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“What gives me a sense of calm is knowing how much work I’ve put in behind the scenes,” said De Minaur, who is now 15-7 at the Australian Open. “As soon as I walk on this court, I know every one of you has my back, and I am always going to do my best... From the first point until the very last.

“The body feels great. It’s been a long time since it’s felt this good. I’m relieved, I’m happy to slide around the court, to burn my shoes… It’s a good sign that one.”

After a stellar 2024 season which saw him make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, De Minaur is playing at his best Grand Slam seeding to date. The No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings will hope to translate his form into success at his native major, where he is yet to progress further than the fourth round.

Despite an emphatic start from De Minaur, who won nine of the opening 11 games, there were moments of magic from Van de Zandschulp in Tuesday's first-round clash. One of the highlights of the match came at the beginning of the third set, when the Dutchman lasered a ‘tweener past the stranded home favourite.

We see it but we don't believe it! 🤯

Botic van de Zandschulp, take a bow 👏pic.twitter.com/Y1ySxDyW17

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 14, 2025

Van de Zandschulp's brilliance was short-lived, however, and the cheers inside Rod Laver Arena were soon back for De Minaur, who was relentless in his approach. The 25-year-old carved out 10 break points throughout the contest, according to Infosys, but was significantly helped by Van de Zandschulp’s unforced error count, which rose to 52.

The Australian No. 1 will next face American qualifier and Grand Slam main-draw debutant Tristan Boyer, who earlier overcame Federico Coria 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.