[22] Alex de Minaur (AUS) def [Q] Yu Hsiou Hsu (TPE) 6-2, 6-2, 6-3
Alex de Minaur has enjoyed a convincing victory on John Cain Arena to kick off his 2023 Australian Open campaign.
The ‘Demon’ was far too strong for Chinese Taipei qualifier Yu-Hsiou Hsu, needing just two hours and one minute to move into the second round at Melbourne Park for the fifth time.
The 23-year-old was dominant on serve, facing just one break point for the match and winning 86% of points behind his first serve.
“Very happy with the performance. [I] played a good level throughout the three sets,” de Minaur said post-match.
The 2022 Atlanta Open champion now has nine wins from nine matches against unseeded opponents at his home Grand Slam, with five of his past six victories coming in straight sets.
De Minaur revealed that he was inspired by the efforts of his fellow Aussie men on day one, where Rinky Hijikata, Jason Kubler, and John Millman all reached the second round.
“It honestly makes me smile just seeing those results and seeing fellow teammates doing so well”, de Minaur said.
“To see the crowd support, the people getting behind, it's just special. We're at a home slam. That's the type of energy that the crowd brings to us Aussie tennis players.”
After Aussie male number one Nick Kyrgios and female number one Ajla Tomljanovic both withdrew from the tournament over the past week, there is increased hope and expectation now resting on the ‘Demon’.
“I take it with pride ultimately. There's still a long, long way to go. I try to look at it more as me individually and try to focus on my goals and get as deep as I can.”
De Minaur will now face the winner of Frenchman Adrian Mannarino and American John Isner, whose match has been rescheduled to Court 3 and is currently taking place as of 10pm (local time).
“Against John, I'm yet to beat him. He's an accomplished player, a veteran, a very tricky opponent,” de Minaur said.
“If I play Mannarino, we've had a couple battles. I know what's coming. He's going to fight till the end. I'll be getting ready for a four or five-set battle.”
Either opponent will see de Minaur attempting to beat a top-50 player at the Australian Open for the first time, having won just one set from his previous five efforts.
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