Source : ABC NEWS
It was a frank admission, but one that perfectly sums up Alex de Minaur’s fighting spirit.
“I’d rather win ugly any day over losing pretty,” the Australian Open eighth seed reflected following his four-set victory over Francisco Cerúndolo in the third round.
It was indeed “ugly”, as de Minaur produced a workmanlike display in the 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-3 result after almost four hours on Rod Laver Arena.
He lost five service games, landed just 49 per cent of his first serves in and committed 62 unforced errors against Argentine Cerúndolo.
Yet de Minaur found a way to win, with superior fitness and a never-say-day attitude getting the Australian across the finish line.
“I reckon this is probably the first match that I’ve played here in Australia where I’ve felt, like today, that I didn’t feel comfortable,” de Minaur told reporters.
“I felt all of a sudden a little bit of pressure playing. I didn’t know what to do.
“I just told myself to go out there and compete.
“A part of me knew that at some point there was going to be always a match where pressure was going to be there and the nerves were going to be there, kind of the expectation was going to be there.
“I knew it was going to be a part of it. I just told myself to go out there and compete.”
De Minaur’s serve misfired in the third-round match. (Getty Images: Clive Brunskill)
De Minaur had served for the first set at 5-4 but lost the next three games to hand 31st-seed Cerúndolo the early advantage.
The second set was an arm wrestle, with de Minaur and Cerúndolo trading service breaks as the temperature crept above 30 degrees Celsius.
A tie-break was needed to decide the set, at which point de Minaur knew his task could soon become more difficult if he was to stay in the contest.
But the world number eight had already made a vow to himself he wouldn’t throw in the towel should he fall further behind Cerúndolo.
“Before I walk on the court, every time I make a pact with myself, a promise to myself, that I’m going to compete till the very last point no matter what,” de Minaur said.
“If I went two sets down, it wasn’t going to change my attitude, or my fight or my belief. I was still going to compete till the end.
“It definitely made my life a whole lot easier to turn that match around, being one-set all, instead of two sets to love down in a tough, physical battle.
“I think also if he would have won that set, then maybe physically he would have been able to see the finish line.
“But the fact that I managed to win that set, it was a physical battle. He started to feel like the finish line was a whole lot further.”
De Minaur called upon his fighting spirit to get past Cerúndolo. (Getty Images: Clive Brunskill)
De Minaur will face 20-year-old Alex Michelsen in the fourth round as he attempts to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time.
The unseeded American will be no pushover, as he has already defeated 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas and 19th seed Karen Khachanov on his way to the last 16.
De Minaur described Michelsen as a “dangerous opponent”, highlighting they had shared their previous two head-to-head meetings.
He knows he will have to improve on his performance against Cerúndolo if he is to advance to the last eight.
“Ultimately I lived to fight another day,” de Minaur said.
“My next one, I’ll make sure I bring a better level.”
