Alex de Minaur’s Big Chance at the US Open
Australia’s top-ranked tennis star Alex de Minaur is standing right at the edge of what could be the most important moment of his career. After powering through to the US Open quarter-finals with a dominant straight-sets win over Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi, the 26-year-old now finds himself with a golden opportunity to push further than he ever has at a major tournament.
The match itself was over in just 93 minutes, with de Minaur barely needing to shift into top gear. Riedi, who came into the main draw through qualifying and has battled multiple knee surgeries, tried to swing big and play ultra-aggressive tennis, but it was a high-risk approach that unraveled quickly. He ended with 39 unforced errors to de Minaur’s steadier 21, and a ninth double fault ultimately sealed his fate. De Minaur wasn’t flawless—he conceded serve twice and played a little loose at times—but against such erratic opposition, it didn’t matter.
Also Read:Now, the real test begins. Despite reaching six career grand slam quarter-finals, de Minaur has never broken through to the semi-finals. Each time, he’s run into the sport’s giants—Djokovic, Sinner, Zverev, Thiem—players who have been multiple steps ahead when it mattered most. This time, though, the draw has opened up. His next opponent will be either Russia’s Andrey Rublev or Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. Both are dangerous, but neither sits in the same tier as Djokovic or Alcaraz. That’s why this moment feels different.
For Australian tennis fans, this has echoes of history. Lleyton Hewitt was the last Aussie man to make the US Open semi-finals, and Nick Kyrgios was the last to do so at any slam back in 2022 at Wimbledon. De Minaur himself knows what’s at stake. After his match, he said he was simply happy to be back in the quarter-finals, but his real ambition was clear: “This is where I want to be. I want to be playing for big titles, I want to be in contention.”
Consistency has been his calling card. In fact, from his last seven majors, five have ended in the quarter-finals. Only Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic have matched or bettered that reliability. The missing piece is turning that consistency into a breakthrough. He’s been close before—most painfully when he had Djokovic on the ropes at Wimbledon earlier this year but let the chance slip away.
This week in New York, there are no excuses. De Minaur has dropped just one set all tournament, he’s the highest-ranked player in his section of the draw, and the schedule has finally given him a spot on the US Open’s main stages, including a likely primetime slot on Arthur Ashe Stadium. For a player who has built his reputation on grit, incremental improvements, and sheer fight, this is the career-defining window he’s been working toward.
Whether he takes it or not will be judged very soon—but one thing is certain: Alex de Minaur has placed himself exactly where he’s always wanted to be. His time might finally be now.
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