Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson will joust for a US Open quarter-final spot as Australia’s extraordinary assault on the season’s last grand slam continues.
De Minaur wore down veteran British marathon man Dan Evans 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-0 to clinch a last-16 berth for a fifth consecutive slam after the seed-slaying Thompson claimed yet another big scalp on day six in New York.
After sending world No.7 Hubert Hurkacz packing in round two, Thompson took out 30th seed Matteo Arnaldi 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to storm into the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for a second time.
Thompson promptly branded the high-stakes match-up with his Sydney mate ‘unreal’.
‘For sure an Aussie in the quarters. I hope that it is me,’ he beamed.
Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson will joust for a US Open quarter-final spot as Australia’s extraordinary assault on the season’s last grand slam continues.
De Minaur wore down veteran British marathon man Dan Evans 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-0 to clinch a last-16 berth for a fifth consecutive slam after the seed-slaying Thompson claimed yet another big scalp on day six in New York.
Alex de Minaur has reached the final 16 at Flushing Meadows for the fifth consecutive time
Jordan Thompson has also reached the final 16 and will face de Minaur for a place in the quarter finals
After sending world No.7 Hubert Hurkacz packing in round two, Thompson took out 30th seed Matteo Arnaldi 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to storm into the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for a second time.
Thompson promptly branded the high-stakes match-up with his Sydney mate ‘unreal’.
‘For sure an Aussie in the quarters. I hope that it is me,’ he beamed.
Thompson will take a power of stopping, though, when the Australians collide on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
Also playing the tennis of his life, having won his maiden ATP title this year in Los Cabos and made the final in Atlanta, the proud Paris Olympian has now matched his career-best grand slam run from the 2020 US Open.
De Minaur has been in ominous form as the Aussie men enjoy the best campaign they have had since 1997
Yet to drop a set this campaign, Thompson fell behind 4-2 in the third against Arnaldi, a 2023 Italian Davis Cup winner widely considered one of the brightest young stars in tennis.
But, as he does, Thompson went straight back to work, breaking Arnaldi in the seventh game and recovering from 3-0 down in the third-set tiebreaker to seal victory after two hours, 33 minutes.
‘It was a great match from me. The third round is pressure. I have not been there too much in my career,’ he said.
‘I was getting a little bit agitated there but I dealt with it really well and came out on top. It is really pleasing to win under lights in New York on a Saturday night.’
The 30-year-old is set to claim a new career-high ranking inside the world’s top 30 and believes he is only now starting to peak.
‘It is hard to argue with. I feel like I am getting better as I get older,’ Thompson said.
‘It is definitely the best I have been playing in my career and my results and ranking dictate that.’
Chris O’Connell was unable to keep his US Open dream alive against Jannik Sinner
But Chris O’Connell’s Open is over after Australia’s fourth third-round representative copped a lesson from world No.1 Jannik Sinner on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
‘The best tennis player I’ve ever played, for sure,’ O’Connell said after exiting with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 loss.
O’Connell can console himself with a career-best payday of $US215,000 ($A315,000) for reaching the last 32.
Popyrin, the 28th seed, meets world No.20 Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round on Sunday night (9am Monday AEST) in a prime-time showdown.
