De Minaur sets up blockbuster Nadal clash

Alex de Minaur has set up a Friday night blockbuster against Spanish legend Rafael Nadal after beating Henri Laaksonen.

Alex De Minaur celebrates his victory against Swiss surprise packet Henri Laaksonen on Margaret Court Arena last night. Picture: AFP

After a typically courageous victory at Melbourne Park last night, Alex de Minaur is determined to do his best to dethrone a king.

The teenager spent a significant time in Spain and quickly came to realise just how significant an idol Rafael Nadal, his next opponent, is in his home nation.

“Well, Rafa is pretty much like the king in Spain,” he said.

“He’s done so much amazing things for the sport. He’s had that many achievements. It’s pretty incredible. It’s going to be fun for me to get out on court and be able to test where I am.”

De Minaur set up a Friday night blockbuster against the Spanish legend after posting a five-set win over Switzerland’s Henri Laaksonen on Margaret Court Arena last night.

Last year the 19-year-old fell short when testing himself against the 17-time grand slam champion on the biggest court in tennis - centre court at Wimbledon.

But he showed throughout a competitive third set that he was capable of mixing it with the 2009 Australian Open champion.

De Minaur has also demonstrated an impressive ability to learn from previous lessons.

“I’m obviously playing some great tennis,” he said.

“To be able to get all these wins under my belt definitely helps a lot, to build just that momentum and keep playing some good tennis day in, day out. Obviously against Rafa, that’s going to be something special.

“I got the chance to play him in Wimbledon on Centre Court. I feel like I learnt a lot from that experience. I’m really looking forward to just having fun, going out there and just competing.

“I think a lot of these things is just about experience. I’ve already stepped out on court and played him, so that whole experience of playing Rafa, that’s not new to me any more.

“So hopefully this time around I can go a bit more relaxed, just focus on myself, try to play some good tennis.”

Freshening up his legs and mind will be critical. De Minaur looked fatigued through the third and fourth sets of his victory over Henri Laaksonen before rallying impressively in the decider. It is his seventh straight win.

“I’m actually feeling good. I thought physically I handled the situation really well. I felt like the whole body was feeling good,” he said.

“I mean, this is why you do the hard work in the pre-season, for matches like this, to be able to feel strong and feel confident in yourself physically. That also helps you out there on court mentally.

“(I’m) really happy with how the body held up. Now I’ve just got to focus on recovering and getting ready for my next one. I’ve got a day off tomorrow, so I’ll focus a lot on my body tomorrow. (I’m) looking forward to my next one.”

Demon sets up Rafa blockbuster

Last night the teenage star appeared to be fatiguing after letting slip a two-set lead against the Swiss surprise packet, who had fought through qualifying, but responded magnificently deep in the deciding set to move into the third round of the Australian Open for the first time.

De Minaur, who has lived in Spain for several years, has set up a second grand slam clash in six months against arguably that country’s best ever athlete. And he declared that he cannot wait to tackle the legend yet again.

“It is going to be incredible just to step out there on court with him. It is an incredible experience for me and I can’t wait to go out there and compete and just give 150 per cent,” he said.

When they clashed in a third round at Wimbledon last July, Nadal proved far too strong, though the young Australian rallied in the third set and impressed the 17-time grand slam champion.

“He is a player who is playing great. He has had great improvement in the last couple of years,” he said.

“I just feel happy that the new generation is coming through. It is going to be an interesting battle (but) I wish him all the very best for his career.

“I really believe he has good chances to have an amazing career, just hopefully not in his next match.”

As Australia’s former top gun Nick Kyrgios was engaging in social media wars with critics including Roger Rasheed, the former coach of Lleyton Hewitt, De Minaur, John Millman and Matt Ebden were fighting hard in matches across the three main show courts at Melbourne Park.

Ultimately, only the youngest of the trio advanced, though Millman came close to pulling off an epic comeback against Roberta Bautista-Agut.

De Minaur seized control of the opening two sets with early service breaks but lost concentration early in the third, as noted by Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt in commentary, which seemed to boost the confidence of the Swiss qualifier.

The Sydneysider retrieved the service break and although he managed to save two set points in the tiebreaker, he could not clinch the victory in straight sets.

And in a concern, he started to look leg-weary against a rival who had begun playing with more aggression.

He dropped his opening service game, retrieved that deficit and saved a couple in the second.

He was under further pressure when serving at 3-all but fought hard to save three break points.

Laaksonen continued to press and was able to break De Minaur for a 5-4 lead in the fourth set.

There were some fraught moments in the fifth set but the Sydney International champion again revealed his true fighting qualities.

And the sustained pressure eventually reaped a significant reward when breaking serve at 4-3.

The 19-year-old then closed out the match to the delight of a patriot crowd De Minaur credited with helping him regain his edge in the deciding set.

“I mean, that was definitely pretty special,” De Minaur said.

“I didn’t want to lose. I had to make sure I composed myself and mentally reset for the last set and try not to get down on myself, stay positive, and fight every ball. There is nothing better (than playing at home). I could do this every single day of the year. I can’t wait to get back out here and play in front of you guys again.”

Nadal, who has been working to add further power and variety to his serve, boasted too much firepower for West Australian Ebden, who tried valiantly on Rod Laver Arena but was outclassed when beaten 6-3 6-2 6- 2 in 1hr 56m.

“I just came back (from a while) away, so it is not easy to evaluate myself. I think I played a solid match and I was happy with how my serve worked,” he said.

“I know every day is a test and especially when you are back after injury, but I am very happy to back. I have worked all my career to enjoy moments like this … and I just try to play with all the love that I have and the passion that I have on court.”

Ebden’s loss followed the earlier exit of John Millman and Jordan Thompson, who both fell in straight sets.