Australia’s Alex de Minaur is through to a grand slam quarter-final for the first time in his career after a comprehensive 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Vasek Popisil.
Second seeded Dominic Thiem now stands in the way of a semi-final spot for the world No 28 after the Austrian had a resounding 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Canadian youngster Félix Auger-Aliassime in the afternoon session at Flushing Meadows.
Both De Minaur and Popisil were coming off five-set victories in the third round, and it looked like they could be set for another marathon when the first set went to a tiebreak.
De Minaur edged it 8-6 after trailing 2-6 at one point, and that was as close as Popisil got to controlling the match. The 21-year-old Australian won the next two sets thanks to a solid serve but he was helped by his opponent: Popisil doubled faulted six times and hit 48 unforced errors compared to the Australian’s 13.
“The first serve was crucial, with some things going his way and then my way,” said De Minaur after the match. “I went 2-6 down, but didn’t think I played a bad tiebreak and tried to stay calm. I’m just so happy with the way I played to beat Vasek. He is very tricky and aggressive. I tried to stay calm and kept running.”
The win keeps alive De Minaur’s chances of becoming the first new grand slam winner since Marin Cilic won at Flushing Meadows in 2014. Novak Djokovic’s controversial exit on Sunday means a first-time major winner is guaranteed by the end of the fortnight in New York, although the Australian faces a tough outing next up against Thiem, who has won both of their previous meetings, including in the opening round at Flushing Meadows three years ago.
