Alex de Minaur busted through his Australian Open fourth-round ceiling with a brutal display against Alex Michelsen. Now, a date with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner looms.

On the cusp of snapping his Australian Open round of 16 hoodoo and reaching a fourth straight major quarter-final, the story behind the incremental improvements for Australia’s best player Alex de Minaur lies in the numbers.

It was the opening round of the 2017 Australian Open in de Minaur’s first main draw at his first major championship in his home country, when the then-17-year-old saved a match point in the fourth set before beating Gerald Melzer in five sets and almost four hours.

Pressure is said to be a privilege, and this has never been lost on Alex de Minaur, but the world number eight has become accustomed to bearing the weight of expectation.

Alex de Minaur has never beaten a seeded player at the Australian Open. To get into the fourth-round, the Aussie will need to defeat 31st seed Francisco Cerundolo on Saturday. De Minaur, the eighth seed,

Watch the match highlights between Alex Michelsen & Alex de Minaur in Round 4 of the 2025 Australian Open Men's Singles Tournament Tennis.

Alex de Minaur ticked off yet another milestone in his illustrious career Monday, taking down American Alex Michelsen to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the very first time.