And then there was one. Alex de Minaur remains the last Aussie standing in the US Open singles draw, manoeuvring past good friend Jordan Thompson to prevail 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
In arguably his best performance of the tournament, the persistent hip injury that has plagued de Minaur since Wimbledon is improving game by game - sliding from side to side and utilising his renowned speed.
Speaking to the media after his fourth round match, the world No.10 touched on the difficulties facing an opponent he had grown up with.
“I’m happy with the win,” the 25-year-old said. “It’s never easy playing a friend and a fellow team-mate in a big match. It wasn’t easy, but I did what I needed to do and [I'm] happy to be in the quarterfinals here again.
“I’ve got so much respect for Thommo. We’ve grown up together, he’s been like a big brother to me, so I really appreciate everything he has done for me. He’s a hell of a competitor. [His] my Davis Cup team-mate and I can’t wait to share the court many, many times with him.
“It’s just a mentality. A positive mindset no matter what, try to play every point, try to win every point and as always, compete my heart out.”
Consistency has been fundamental this calendar year for de Minaur to achieve a career-high ranking of No.6, becoming the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004-05 to reach three straight Grand Slam quarter-finals.
“It’s always nice to achieve milestones,” de Minaur confessed.
"I don’t make too much fuss. I just put my head down and work on my craft. I’m excited that the results are showing.”
2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz was projected to meet the Aussie in the quarter-finals. However, his shock exit in round two has opened the door for de Minaur and 25th seed Jack Draper to exploit a weaker draw.
Unbeaten in all three previous meetings against the Brit, de Minaur defeated Draper two years ago in the second round of Wimbledon, although the Sydneysider is preparing for a tight contest against a player who has yet to drop a set in the past week.
“He’s been playing some great tennis all year round, so I’m expecting a battle,” he said. "He’s very tricky, so I’m going to do my best, compete my heart out and we’ll see what happens.”
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