Australian Open: Alex de Minaur wins through to third round

Alex de Minaur says he is below his best despite annihilating his Italian opponent in a straight sets “revenge” act in the second round.

Alex de Minaur had to overcome inconsistency on his first serve to fend off Italian world No. 41 Matteo Arnaldi in the second round. Picture: Daniel Pockett / Getty Images

Alex de Minaur says he is far from his best but wants to “show what I’m capable of” at the business end of the Australian Open after he cruised past Italian Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets on Wednesday.

The Aussie world No. 10 thrashed his 22-year-old opponent 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 despite facing “harder” conditions than usual under the roof at Rod Laver Arena in a victory he said was “a little bit of revenge” for the semi-final loss Italy inflicted on Australia at the Davis Cup in November.

de Minaur said he was content to win ugly in the early rounds of the tournament if it meant he was primed to hit his straps when it mattered most in the second week.

He struggled early on his first serve against Arnaldi, as he did against Milos Raonic in his first-round walkover victory on Monday night, but found some rhythm as he surged to an 11-game winning streak including a second-set bagel.

“I think so far I’ve done what I’ve needed to do to win matches, it hasn’t been the prettiest of levels or my best level … I do think I’ve got a lot more to show,” he said after the match.

Alex de Minaur struggled early on his first serve before finding rhythm to thrash Italian Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena. Picture: Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

“I’ve learnt that the first week is all about getting through … it might not be your best tennis, but if you get through the first week, you give yourself a chance in the second week to show what you’re made of, and that’s where the best tennis is being played.

“I do think I’ve got more to give, and I really, really would like to show what I’m capable of.”

After it was flagged by his Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt before the match, de Minaur confirmed afterwards revenge for the semi-final loss had been on his mind.

Arnaldi had played a key role in Italy’s victory by defeating Alexei Popyrin before Jannik Sinner handed de Minaur a loss to seal the tie.

“It’s no secret it was heartbreaking at the end of the year losing to Italy,” he said.

“I told the (Australian) boys we’re going to be back here, we’re going to be a better chance … today was a little bit of revenge there and I’m happy to be in the next round.”

de Minaur will face either Russian world No. 65 Pavel Kotov or Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli in the third round, after the latter upset 18th seed Nicolas Jarry in a thrilling five-set clash on Monday.

de Minaur is through to the third round for the fifth time at the Australian Open. Picture: David Gray / AFP

“Hopefully they play for five hours today,” de Minaur joked.

“They’re both quality players … they’re both dangerous players playing with a lot of confidence.

“Again, I’ve got to focus on my side of the court, put my head down and hopefully do my thing.”

He said completing only two sets against Raonic before his straight-sets victory had left him valuable fresh legs entering the third-round clash.

“Over the years you come to learn how important is, if possible, to conserve your energy … it is a long two weeks if you want to get to the end of the tournament, and that’s ultimately the goal,” he said.

With showers forcing the match to be played under the Rod Laver roof, de Minaur said the conditions had favoured his Italian opponent by negating the movement of the ball through the air.

“It definitely changes a lot … I think Matteo is an indoor player, I think he’s got very good firepower and he’s very good when the ball’s not really moving and in the slot,” de Minaur said.

“I did find playing indoors probably a little bit harder to get the ball moving and out of his strike zone, but in saying that I’m very happy how I was able to adapt and manage the conditions and come up with a quality win.”

Originally published as Australian Open: Alex de Minaur wins through to third round