Alex De Minaur is through to the third round of the Australian Open after a commanding straight-sets win over Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.
Sam Groth called it “deadly” from the Aussie and that’s a perfect summation of his performance.
It was as ruthless as we’ve ever seen the 22-year-old. He dropped just two points on his serve for the entire third set as he finished a 6-4 6-4 6-2 winner.
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“It was pretty flawless tennis, really,” Groth said.
“That was a clinical performance.”
The win was De Minaur’s first on Rod Laver Arena in his second appearance on Melbourne Park’s centre court.
De Minaur will face Spain’s Pablo Andujar in the third round.
He’s made it to the third round of his home grand slame twice before, but never progressed further than that. His best Grand Slam result was a quarter-final appearance at the 2020 US Open.
During the match, Groth noticed an intensity in De Minaur that suggests the young star is about to make his best ever performance at the Australian event.
“He’s got a steely look of determination right now,” Groth said on Nine’s coverage.
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“You sometimes forget that he’s 22 years of age, feels like he’s been around forever already.
“For a young man, carrying that pressure of being the No.1 ranked player in your country with a home slam, it’s certainly something I’m sure he’s spoken about with Lleyton (Hewitt) at some stage.”
American great Jim Courier also noticed the determination and resolve in the young Aussie.
“One thing you don’t have to question is his commitment,” Courier said.
“His commitment is there, the effort, the professionalism.
“I liked what I heard him say in his post-match interview after the first match, about how he’s trying to make being positive on the court a real focus, trying to keep that good energy up and not beat himself up when things aren’t going his way.
“It’s hard enough out here when your opponent is beating you up, you don’t need to punch yourself at the same time. It’s not easy to restrain yourself for every player because you want it so badly, and boy is it clear that Alex wants it.”
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