SYDNEY SLAM: AUSTRALIA’S US OPEN LAST-16 TRIO FLY THE FLAG FOR HARBOUR CITY
Australian grand slam trio Alexei Popyrin, Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson have more than just talent in common.
Sure, they’re all into the last 16 at this year’s US Open, and they’re all having their best year on tour to date, but they also share a common heritage: they’re all from Sydney.
This connection wasn’t lost on de Minaur when he spoke after a confident win over Britain’s Dan Evans on Sunday morning (Sydney time) to advance to the round of 16, where he will play Thompson for a spot in the quarter-finals.
“It’s so good for Australian tennis to show what we’re capable of,” de Minaur said. “Alexei putting on a show last night, beating Novak [Djokovic], Jordan playing some incredible tennis ... it’s a pity that we’ve got to play each other, and I just need to say that we’re all from Sydney, so there’s something special out there.”
The meeting of de Minaur and Thompson in the next round guarantees Australia will have a men’s player in the US Open last eight for the first time since Nick Kyrgios in 2022.
Popyrin plays American Frances Tiafoe at 9am on Monday morning for his spot in the quarter-finals, before De Minaur and Thompson do battle on Tuesday morning.
De Minaur’s victory makes him the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach the fourth round of all four grand slams in a calendar year.
After defeating an injury-afflicted Evans 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-0, 6-0, de Minaur said he was “proud” of his achievements since coming back from the hip injury he sustained at Wimbledon.
“The first thing [is] we should show is a lot of respect for Dan,” de Minaur said after the match. “He’s the ultimate competitor. He could have easily pulled out, the body was obviously not feeling well, but he stayed out there and tried his best, so I really appreciate it.
“We’ve had some great battles and, obviously, he’s gotten the better of me on many occasions, so I was happy I was able to get one on the board ... I’m super proud of what I’ve been able to achieve this year. It’s been tough coming back from injury, but I’m so happy to be back here in New York.”
Thompson caused an upset earlier in the night, with a straight-sets win over world No.30 Matteo Arnaldi.
Arnaldi proved to be his own worst enemy with a double-fault on match point during a third set tie-break to hand Thompson a 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory. It means Thompson will play in the fourth round of the US Open for the first time since 2020.
“It was a great match from me. Third round is pressure, but I haven’t been there too often in my career,” Thompson said on court after the win.
“Up two sets to love and down a break I fought back, and I was getting a little agitated there [in the third set], but I think that’s pretty normal. I dealt with it pretty well and came out on top. It’s really pleasing under the lights at the US Open on a Saturday night.”
At 30 years old, Thompson is in career-best form, with consistent performances having brought him his maiden title win in Los Cabos, Mexico earlier this year.
“I feel like I’m getting better as I get older,” he said. “Hopefully, my body holds up, but it’s definitely the best that I’ve been playing in my career, and results and ranking have shown that.”
Thompson will be back on court on Monday, Sydney time, for his third-round doubles match with Max Purcell, who was courtside for Thompson’s win over Arnaldi.
“He’s a great mate of mine [Purcell], and I really appreciate the support,” Thompson said. “We’ve been playing doubles for a couple of years now, I feel like we pull out of every second event, but he’s always there for me, and every chance he gets he’s always at my matches and I really appreciate it.“
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