Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 19, 2024 Australia's Alex De Minaur reacts after winning his third round match against Italy's Flavio Cobolli REUTERS/Edgar Su
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic may be the overwhelming favourite to win his 11th Australian Open title this year, but for the thousands of locals heading to Melbourne Park on Sunday, Alex de Minaur's clash with Russia's Andrey Rublev is the hottest ticket in town.
"Demon" as he is affectionately known, is the last Australian standing in the singles, and victory over the fifth seed would see him become the first Australian man to reach the last eight in Melbourne since Nick Kyrgios nine years ago.
All three of De Minaur's wins over Rublev in their five previous meetings have come on hard courts, and the 10th seed heads into Sunday's match having not dropped a set in Melbourne so far.
Somewhat surprisingly, De Minaur has also spent less time on court than any other men's player, with all three of his matches finishing on or around the two-hour mark, a sharp departure from his previous performances at the majors.
Slightly built and lacking obvious weapons like a killer serve or raw power, the 24-year-old's matches are usually battles of attrition, with the Aussie forced to rely on running power, fitness and heart to wear down his opponents.
Yet after his first-round opponent Milos Raonic retired hurt, De Minaur advanced to the last 16 with straight sets victories over his next two opponents.
"I probably must be feeling the freshest I've been getting at this stage of the tournament," he said after beating Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli in his last match.
"Physically I'm feeling great. Now it's just about giving all my energy for what's to come."
De Minaur will step out onto the Rod Laver Arena for the first match of the evening session, the primetime slot at a Slam, with Djokovic facing off against France's Adrian Mannarino in the final match of the earlier day session.
Djokovic has not been his usual imperious self in Melbourne, being pushed to four sets in his opening two matches, but the Serb, who is tied with Margaret Court on 24 majors, can usually be counted on to raise his game in the second week.
The 35-year-old Mannarino faces the task of having to beat Djokovic for the first time at his fifth attempt if he is to make the first Grand Slam quarter-final of his career.
A win for the Serb, on the other hand, would see him reach his 58th Slam quarter-final and equal Roger Federer's all-time record for most appearances in the last eight at the majors.
U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff kicks things off on Rod Laver when she takes on unseeded Pole Magdalena Frech, while second seed Aryna Sabalenka faces American Amanda Anisimova on Margaret Court Arena.
Men's fourth seed Jannik Sinner of Italy and seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece are also in action, against Russia's Karen Khachanov and American Taylor Fritz, respectively.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
