Alex De Minaur overcomes foot injury in ruthless French Open win
De Minaur claimed a strong 6-3 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory over Serb Laslo Djere on a cold and windy court 14 at Roland Garros on Tuesday, taking the match in just two hours 36 minutes as he began his quest to go deep in the second grand slam of the year.
It was in Paris last year that de Minaur started his remarkable streak with a quarter-final run, a result which has now stretched to four straight grand slam final eight appearances.
But to keep the slam sequence alive, the 26-year-old world No. 9 is going to need to elevate his game and build into the week in Paris after some anxious moments against Djere.
De Minaur was at times shaky on serve (45% first serve), his service game broken twice, and had to come back from a break down in the third set to secure his path into the second round.
The Aussie saved two set points on the Serb's serve at 5-3 down in the third set, before closing out the match in a tiebreak that tested his nerve and his composure.
'Demon has got to keep his head here, he is getting very fired up and fired up at his box,' fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis said in commentary on Channel Nine after the Aussie gestured at his coaches when trailing 4-2 in the tiebreak.
De Minaur saved a further two set points in the tiebreak, scrambling to keep the ball alive as the Serb desperately tried to hit winners and close out the set.
But the ninth seed rattled off the last four points in a row to secure a dramatic tiebreak win.
'I thought he played really well, it got tough conditions wise at the end of that but you can just see the confidence he has built in his game over the last year or so,' said Todd Woodbridge.
De Minaur also took a medical timeout to treat injured toes on his right foot after the second set, an occupational hazard for tennis players during clay court season where constant sliding across the surface requires regular podiatrist attention and maintenance.
'Demon (de Minaur) and Lleyton (Hewitt) are both as tough as they come,' said fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis in commentary for Nine.
'Even if they do have a problem you don't hear about it.'
De Minaur will meet either compatriot James Duckworth or Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in the second round, the pair were due to play their clash later on Tuesday in Paris.
But it's the fourth round where de Minaur's draw really looks difficult, with Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in his round of 16 group and looming as one of the men to beat this year on clay.
However, de Minaur is not without hope even if he has yet to claim any big scalps on clay this season.
'He is coming into this (tournament) healthy and he is improving every year,' said Kokkinakis.
'I think it's just a matter of time and draws opening up for him.'
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