Demon slayer: Tiley daring to dream of 50-year first

Alex de Minaur could reach a career-high ranking of No.5 in the world as early as next week.

The 26-year-old Australian is currently fifth in the live rankings and, depending on results in Hong Kong this weekend, will be the first Australian male player to break into the top five since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.

But with Hewitt sitting across from him late on Friday night, de Minaur was adamant the number next to his name was of minimal concern. Last year, a constant focus on the rankings almost destroyed him.

“I will talk about it when I know it’s 100 per cent certain,” de Minaur said. “It is what it is. I think ultimately in tennis there are so many variables. Over the years, that’s something that I’ve obsessed about, and something that I’ve looked at after every single match and focus on everyone else’s results.

“And, as I saw last year, it consumed me. It was too much. So, I’m doing my best to kind of be a lot more chilled out about it. If it happens, it happens.”

The Australian No.1 was speaking after his victory against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the United Cup quarter-finals on Friday night. Australia were eliminated from the tournament after losing the mixed doubles tie, with Maya Joint having earlier gone down to Iga Swiatek.

De Minaur said his matches against Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik and Hurkacz had prepared him well for the Australian Open, which gets underway a week on Sunday.

“I think I played some good tennis here, and ultimately any improvements would be important,” he said.

“Ultimately, those are the goals that I will be pursuing. Whether I achieve it this next coming week or at the end of the year or in the middle of the year, I’m going to be looking forward to hopefully finishing off the year higher than I did this last year. So that’s my main goal.”

Team Australia captain Hewitt said de Minaur would be better for the grinding, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Hurkacz on Friday.

“Alex had to dig deep and find a way, and he was able to hang around long enough in that opening set to be able to win it,” Hewitt said.

“And I thought it was a great performance by Alex and perfect preparation for him going into Melbourne now.”

It was a difficult tournament for de Minaur’s teammate Maya Joint, the 19-year-old who should be seeded at the Australian Open.

After a case of flu at the start the week caused her to miss opening match against Norway’s Malene Helgo, Joint was able to return for the ties against Czechia and Poland.

But she found herself pitted against two-time grand slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova in the former and six-time champion Iga Swiatek in the latter, and lost both in straight sets.

It means Joint heads to the Adelaide International next week still looking to pick up her first win of 2026.

“Maya put up a great fight,” Hewitt said. “Her ball-striking was a lot better tonight than a couple of days ago, and it’s been a tough event for her – obviously, getting crook, and having quite a few days off before coming in.

“I think for her big picture at the Australian Open and next week playing, I think she’s in a lot better shape than you were a couple of days ago.”

Joint, who was playing the tournament for the first time, said it had been a valuable learning experience.

“I was so lucky to learn from all these players here,” she said. “The matches were all very high-quality that I played, I think it’s perfect preparation for AO.”

Tiley daring to dream of drought-breaking Demon Open victory

Marc McGowan

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley says he is dreaming of Alex de Minaur – or another local hope – ending the nation’s 50-year men’s title drought dating to Mark Edmondson’s shock win in 1976.

Ash Barty famously claimed her third and final grand slam singles title at the 2022 Open, becoming the first Australian woman to do so since Chris O’Neil 44 years earlier.

More than two decades have passed since former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt became the most recent Australian man to make a singles final at the Melbourne major, losing the 2005 decider to Marat Safin in four sets.

Only three other Australians – John Marks (1978), Kim Warwick (1980) and Pat Cash (1987 and 1988) – reached the Australian Open men’s singles final since 212th-ranked Edmondson stunned seven-time grand slam champion John Newcombe.

De Minaur is the country’s best chance of doing so this year, or in the near future, and will be seeded in the top six.

“My life every night is spent dreaming about an Aussie in the final,” Tiley said. “Probably the highlight still, for this event, for me, was Ash winning the final, and then, of course, Rafa [Nadal] following it up – and that was our famous COVID challenging year.

“Alex is playing the best tennis he has, coming in. I watched his match against Hubie Hurkacz [at the United Cup] last night [Friday], and it was actually great, a very solid match, and when he plays like that, leading in, and he gets the match practice under the belt, he has a good event.

“A lot will depend on the draw, as always, but I’m excited for him, and he’s got a bit more of a spring in his step than I’ve seen before coming into the Australian Open.”

Tiley, who is yet to reveal if he is staying as Tennis Australia’s chief executive or accepting the same role in the United States, predicts this year’s Australian Open to be the biggest and most-attended ever, including offering a record $111.5 million prizemoney.

He backed Australian tennis fans as the “most-educated” across the world, but warned that anyone who stepped out of line would be kicked out and banned.

“We’ve said very clearly, and I’ll say it again, if anyone comes on site with the intent of disrupting the enjoyment of the event for anyone else, they’ll be removed,” Tiley said.

“We’ll welcome them being removed, and we won’t allow them to come back because it’s about the enjoyment. Our focus is about every fan having some great enjoyment and feeling really good about the experience.”

Tiley also said he would continue to monitor Victoria’s catastrophic bushfire situation and offer help through the Australian Tennis Foundation.

“This is a very difficult time, particularly for those who are directly affected by the bushfires … and we’ll do what we can to support and help,” he said.