Australian Open 2022: Last Aussie bounced as Jannik Sinner tops Alex de Minaur in the Fourth Round

Alex de Minaur had pasty redhead Jannik Sinner right where he wanted him when Monday’s draw came out and it was 55C on court. But there was one thing he didn’t count on.

Ask and you shall receive. Alex de Minaur gets what he wants. A match on a court hot enough to cook an egg and a red-haired, fair-skinned European. I need a medical time-out and I’m only tapping the keys of a laptop and I’m in grave danger of cramping up and retiring.

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If you think it’s a coincidence that Australia’s highest-ranked male player gets the timeslot most favourable to him, think again. The chosen few at every major usually have their requests accommodated. The super-fit de Minaur’s best chance to beat Italy’s young superstar Jannick Sinner is to run him ragged in the thick of a summer scorcher.

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Jannik Sinner was too hot to handle for Aussie Alex de Minaur.

Right on cue, at 2.30pm, the mercury hits 33C. Feels like 50C. It’s actually 55C on the court. Which feels like heaven to de Minaur.

Only problem is, Alize Cornet and Simona Halep are up to their sweat-soaked necks in a marathon battle that delays the schedule.

The first match of the day, starting at 11am, has been a ding-dong battle lasting two hours and 51 minutes between the victorious Danielle Collins and Elise Mertens.

Then comes Cornet’s win in two hours and 33 minutes over Halep. It’s so hot the shot clock is melting. The net needs a nap. The baseline is wobbling. Not as hot as the famous Open heatwave of 2014, when Canadian player Frank Dancevic has hallucinated so badly he looked across the net and thought he saw Snoopy, but it’s up there.

Cornet stumbles over the line like she’s run a proper marathon. The full 42.195km. She’s distressed. Struggling for breath. Out on her feet. Bawling. Telling the umpire, “You know how hot it is? It’s inhuman.”

The stifling heat sapped the energy out of Alize Cornet and Simona Halep — what Alex de Minaur was hoping would happen to Jannik Sinner. Picture: AFP

That’s what de Minaur has wanted against Sinner. Inhuman heat to complement his superhuman fitness.

And yet by the time the women are finished, de Minaur’s starting time has been pushed back to 5.20pm. It’s still 33 degrees and oppressive enough. The only bloke inside Rod Laver Arena with redder hair, fairer skin and more desperate need of a hat than Sinner is Laver himself. But the shadows are closing in and so is Sinner in a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-4 win that proves all the hype around the young bloke is warranted.

He’s one of the best returners in the game, but de Minaur’s opponent had too much firepower. Picture: Getty Images

Sinner’s the World No. 10 at 20 years of age. You hope Sinner’s slipped, slopped and slapped, otherwise he’ll end up as pink as an English backpacker after a day at Brighton Beach. De Minaur’s fitness is unquestioned; he’ll go five sets in a desert if he has to. Sadly for the Australian, the most energy-sapping part of the day has been soaked up by the women and all he’s really left with is a pure tennis battle.

It’s Sinner who runs de Minaur ragged. Plenty of good judges, far better than I, reckon the Italian will be the next long-term World No. 1. De Minaur has six breakpoint chances in the first set and is full of hustle and bustle, but he cannot convert. The match amplifies the glaring weakness in de Minaur’s game. A second serve that just lobs carefully into the middle of the box. He wins only 38 per cent of second-serve points for the match. Ruinous.

Anything the Demon did, Sinner did better. Picture: AFP

What de Minaur does have is loads of heart. He tries to hang in. He hustles and bustles he’s opposed by a rare talent. De Minaur bellows his C’mons but they sound increasingly hollow. He plays a selection of truly great points – at 2-4, 15-30 for example – but loses them anyway when Sinner pulls a winner from his hat. The problem with counterpunching like de Minaur is that you don’t land enough blows of your own. Preparing for a second serve, Sinner hears a buffoon in the crowd shout, “Time for a double!” He wins the point, and the match, and quietly pumps his fist. He is exceptional. De Minaur is very good. Sinner is potentially great. There’s a difference.

Last Aussie out: Saint Alex vanquished by Sinner

Australia will have to wait at least another year for a shot at the men’s Australian Open title after a “bittersweet ending” drew curtains on Alex de Minaur’s home major campaign.

The dream quickly became a demolition for the Australian at the hands of 11th seed Jannik Sinner, who took hold of opportunities with both hands to deliver a near seamless straight-sets performance worthy of his second grand slam quarter-final berth.

It was the battle of the young bucks – a combined age of just 42 years.

And after a summer slogging it out in the gym and on court – including in the backyard of Australian tennis great Tony Roche – De Minaur knows this is just the beginning after a strong start to 2022.

“No (the plans don’t change after the promising start), because I knew I had this in me,” the 22-year-old said.

“I knew I’d put in the work to really come out here and perform, so the goals kind of stay the same.

“I still want to keep improving, keep striving to get the most out of myself. That’s never going to change. That’s just the person I am, and in a way it’s how I’ve gotten to where I have gotten, just by constantly pushing myself.

“So we’ll reflect on what I did well, what I can still improve, and we go again until the next tournament.”

The Demon tried his best in his bid to make the quarters. Picture: AFP

De Minaur, who was ranked 42 before the tournament and will be boosted to 33 next week, conceded it is “a long year” which he hopes will include the Davis Cup in March.

“We start on the 1st of January, and there’s a good chance we will be going on until late November, even maybe early December,” he said.

“It’s a long year, but my hopes and goals are to keep at least my attitude and my mindset throughout the whole year, or try to.

“It’s easier said than done, but that’s the focus.”

Australian major finalist Mark Philippoussis said “it is great to see him healthy and moving well” after battling both injury and Covid in 2021.

“He is hitting the ball well, and I hope he can take this momentum and build on it throughout the year and have one of his best,” he said on Nine.

“He is without a doubt capable.”

With the “lucky” touch of a butterfly, which featured during the match and then on Sinner’s hat post-match, the young star said it was confidence and the added experience of another season that had been the catalyst to his consistency.

“Last year for me was a long year. Many, many tournaments for me for the first time,” the Italian said.

“I (gained) a lot of experience in the last couple of months, and I think I’ve grown as a player and as a person. I’m very happy to be here in the quarter-finals.”