Aussies at the Open: De Minaur, Hunter storm into third round

Three more Aussies – Christopher O’Connell, Jordan Thompson and Alexei Popyrin – bowed out on Wednesday evening after pushing seeds to four sets.

After O'Connell fell to Ben Shelton, Thompson came incredibly close to extending Stefanos Tsitsipas to a fifth set before the No.7 seed prevailed. Popyrin held four set points to take a two-sets-to-one lead over Novak Djokovic, yet the 10-time AO champ rallied.

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In November’s Davis Cup final, Arnaldi won a crucial singles rubber against Australia’s Popyrin to help his nation sweep the prestigious team title.

However, it was the 10th-seeded Aussie’s turn to play the hero this time, thrilling local fans with his commanding 6-3 6-0 6-3 triumph.

“It’s no secret it was heartbreaking at the end of last year, losing to Italy in the Davis Cup final,” De Minaur said.

“But I told the boys we’re going to be back there, we are going to get another chance. Today was a little bit of revenge for Australia and I’m happy to be in the next round.”

The 24-year-old took just two hours to record the most one-sided victory of his career at the Australian Open. His previous record for least games conceded in an AO win was seven.

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“Matteo is a hell of a player, a very exciting player with a lot of firepower and a very, very high level,” De Minaur acknowledged.

“I thought I just had to be solid here, use the crowd and try to stay focused, so I’m very happy to get the win today.”

This effort propels De Minaur into the third round at his home Grand Slam for the fourth consecutive year. 

There he will face another Italian opponent, Flavio Cobolli, a 21-year-old qualifier ranked 100th and enjoying a career-best run at Grand Slam level.

Hunter enters the record books

Hunter’s performance has ensured this is the deepest an Aussie qualifier has progressed in an Australian Open women’s singles draw in 39 years.

“Being in the third round, it’s a dream come true,” she beamed after completing a hard-fought 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory against Germany’s Laura Siegemund at John Cain Arena.

“It’s honestly amazing.”