This was published 2 years ago
That’s all we have for you tonight after a cracking match between Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur which Rublev won in five sets to move to the quarterfinals.
We will have more de Minaur stories to come and another Australian Open blog later in the morning.
Thanks so much for joining us and we will see you again later on today.
Bye for now.
Australian star Alex de Minaur says he is “absolutely devastated” to be out at the fourth round of the Australian Open and he felt he could have gone further in the tournament.
But the 24-year-old said he just couldn’t find an answer for Andrey Rublev’s power strokes in the last two sets as the tiring Russian swung hard and came up with too many winners.
De Minaur also rued his poor first-serve percentage as it fed Rublev’s game plan to swing hard.
“It’s a tough way to end my time here, I had aspired to go further but he played too good in the fourth and fifth set,” de Minaur said.
Son-of-a-champion Cruz Hewitt’s Australian Open boys’ singles debut ended in a straight-sets defeat on Sunday, but not before displaying some uncanny resemblances to his former world No.1 dad.
The 15-year-old wildcard – one of the country’s most promising young players – lost 6-2, 6-3 to sixth-seeded American Alexander Razeghi in a contest lasting just short of an hour-and-a-half on a packed court three full of fans keen to see Lleyton Hewitt’s son in action.
Lleyton was front and centre in Cruz’s player box, along with wife Bec, the teenager’s coach Peter Luczak, Jaymon Crabb and Jordan Thompson, while John Millman arrived mid-match and instantly became a source of support.
Lleyton’s parents, Glynn and Cherilyn, were also in the stands, while former Western Bulldogs player-turned-Essendon assistant coach Daniel Giansiracusa was another interested onlooker.
Speaking to Channel Nine on Sunday morning before Cruz’s match, Lleyton – now Australia’s Davis Cup captain after a stellar playing career – said he was “unbelievably proud” of his son.
Andrey Rublev has given a trademark candid interview about his wild five-set win over Alex de Minaur.
The No.5 seed admitted he feared he would lose when he went down two sets to one but told himself to battle out the match, no matter what it cost him.
“Amazing match to Alex,” Rublev told Jim Courier with a smile.
“Two days ago I hoped we would play an amazing match and spectators would enjoy it, now I’m beginning to regret that.”
Andrey Rublev has outlasted Australian star Alex de Minaur to claim a five-set win and lock in a place in the quarterfinals.
Rublev won 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 6-0 in a high-quality match that lasted more than four hours.
De Minaur looked a chance to win the match in four sets but as both players wore down, Rublev’s powerful forehand was too much for the young Aussie.
Rublev will play Jannik Sinner in the quarters.
Rublev is up 5-0 and serving for the match.
The mixed doubles that was meant to follow this match has been postponed, presumably until tomorrow.
Down 2-0, de Minaur is trying to summon all the energy he can to mount one last comeback.
Rublev is playing like someone who has been here before and he is coming up with some superb winners, despite being as tired as de Minaur.
An unhelpful crowd member yelled out: “What would Lleyton do?” and the rest of the crowd drowned him out with cheers for de Minaur.
An ace at 30-30 had the crowd roaring but a running return, that would have been a winner, just landed over the line.
But Rublev came up with a brilliant winner and celebrated with some wild facial gestures.
He leads 3-0 in the fifth set.
It’s like Rublev has put the cone of silence over Rod Laver Arena as he broke de Minaur to love to begin the fifth set.
His backhand winner to seal the break was sublime.
De Minaur has a huge hill to climb, this was another service game dropped to start a set.
We are going to a deciding fifth set.
Rublev coughed up an easy service win (to love) to de Minaur in the previous game but roared back to hold his serve and win the set 6-3.
It’s two sets each and both players look tired.
Rublev has shown in the past and in this tournament that he can win in five sets, the question for de Minaur is does he have the energy reserves to win from this position.
There is a last eight spot waiting for one of these two stars.
This set is pure chaos tennis after a number of early breaks and some very shaky service games but Rublev stood tall in that last game to bring up a couple of crucial winners and turn a break point into a hold of serve.
He leads 5-2 in the fourth set. It really looks like we are headed for a fifth set.
The players have been on court for three hours and 40 minutes.