WATCH: Alex de Minaur forces the Rod Laver Arena on its feet after putting in a defensive masterclass against Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open 2024

Fourth-round clashes at Grand Slam events don’t get any better than the match between Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev. The local lad has been performing exceptionally and undoubtedly has the crowd support on his quest to win his maiden Grand Slam title.

In a battle of the two Top-10 seeds, going into the fourth set, de Minaur was leading the match, having won the epic tiebreakers in the second and third set. The fifth-seeded Russian won the first set 6-4 to silence the packed Rod Laver Arena, but the ‘demon’ had other plans.

Not only did the Aussie bring out his clutch game, but he also showed exemplary athleticism and shotmaking skills. During the second set tiebreaker, de Minaur held a tender lead of 5-4 while being on the serve. He hit a rocket of a serve, but it was met quite easily by the Russian as a long rally resumed between the two.

Rublev had the Aussie on the ropes, making him dance from one end of the court to the other. Alex, however, did not back down and got to each of the balls to deliver the perfect returns. One of the overstretched lobs forced Rublev to flee to the net. Finding the opportunity right, de Minaur easily lobbed the Russian, who, despite trying a tweener, conceded the point.

The point forced the spectators to rise from their seats and applaud the two players. The cheers were, however, more towards the local lad who was giving everything he had to stay in the match. Not only did de Minaur win that particular tiebreak, he came through in the third set’s tiebreaker too.

Alex de Minaur shows his creativity to find a winner from around the net

Before this insane court coverage point, Alex de Minaur had also hit a winner from around the net. The incident happened in the same tiebreaker as the second set. With Rublev on the serve holding a one-point lead at 2-1, the Aussie’s endurance was put to the test once again.

Rublev continued to hit his shots on the forehand, hitting them perfectly and forcing the 10th seed to keep running on the court. One of the forehands required Rublev to stretch and, as a result, the direction wasn’t proper. The ball bounced off the net and was about to take its second bounce near the net post.

The Aussie didn’t stop and with his racket almost touching the ground; he hit the winner from across the net. Rublev still managed to get to the ball, but his mistimed shot landed outside the permissible court, giving the Aussie the point. The fifth seed was visibly furious and inaudible dialogues were heard directed towards his box.

But for the fans in the stadium, it was nothing short of a moment of magic. And they rightly gave out a huge cheer to support their compatriot. Rublev, however, stunned them in silence by winning the fourth set 6-3 and forcing a fifth set.

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