Alex de Minaur and Jordan Thompson will face off in the fourth round of the Australian Championship at Flushing Meadows.
New York, USA, September 2, 2024 | Leigh Rogers
For the first time in 31 years, two Australian players will face off in the fourth round of the US Open men’s singles.
“Look, the fact that we’re playing each other in the fourth round is a good problem to have,” said Alex de Minaur ahead of his match against compatriot Jordan Thompson.
“It’s exciting. I grew up with him, we’ve played a lot of times, and I’m looking forward to an absolute fight.”
De Minaur surprised himself by making it to the second week of this year’s US Open, coming into the tournament in the shadow of injury. He hadn’t played a singles match since Wimbledon, when he pulled out of the quarterfinals with a hip injury.
“[I’m] De Minaur said he was “very pleased” with his performance so far at Flushing Meadows.
“I knew I was seriously low on energy and I didn’t know what would happen to my body. [But] “I’m definitely feeling good. I’m in an uptrend, which is exactly the trend I want.”
With growing confidence in his body, De Minaur is looking to reach a third consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final, but the 25-year-old knows he cannot underestimate the challenge presented by his Davis Cup team-mates.
“I think Thommo deserves a lot of respect as a player,” De Minaur said. “Not just because he beat some great opponents to get to the fourth round, but also because of the way he’s played over the last few years. He’s played positive, aggressive tennis against the best players in the world and has won a lot of big scalps.”
De Minaur comes into this match with a 4-1 record against the 30-year-old Thompson, but this will be their first meeting in more than two years.
| Alex de Minaur v Jordan Thompson Relative record |
||||
| Year | result | event | round | surface |
| 2019 | De Minor won 6-4 6-2. | Brisbane | 2R | stiff |
| 2019 | De Minaur wins 7-6(4) 6-3 | Sydney | QF | stiff |
| 2019 | Thompson won 4-6 6-2 6-3. | ‘s-Hertogenbosch | QF | grass |
| 2021 | De Minaur won 6-7(8) 6-3 6-4. | Stuttgart | 2R | grass |
| 2022 | De Minor won 6-2 6-3. | Miami | 2R | stiff |
The friendship between the two dates back to De Minaur’s junior days, when he trained with Thompson in Sydney.
“When I was young, he was someone I looked up to and he always gave me a lot of time,” De Mino recalled. “I learned a lot from him.
“I’m glad we’re together. 1725303857 Compete against each other on tennis’ biggest stage.”
> Read more: Thompson recalls his earliest memory of De Minor
De Minor and Thompson are among six Australian athletes who will compete on day eight at Flushing Meadows.
They include Matt Ebden (partnering with Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova) and Ellen Perez (partnering with Belgium’s Sander Guille), who reached the mixed doubles quarter-finals.
Perez will also compete in the third round of women’s doubles with American Nicole Melichard Martinez.
Gold Coast brothers Hayden and Emerson Jones are also in action, with the US Open Junior Championship still underway.
The US Open will be broadcast live in Australia on the Nine Network and Stan Sport, with coverage beginning at 1am AEST (Tuesday, September 3).
Day 8: Australian players in action:
Men’s Singles Round 4
[10] Alex de Minor (Australia) five Jordan Thompson (Australia)Louis Armstrong Stadium, Game 4 (no earlier than 7am AEST)
Women’s Doubles Round 3
[5] Ellen Perez (Australia)/Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) v [11] Marie Bouzkova (Czech Republic)/Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain), Stadium 17, First Match (from 3am AEST)
Mixed doubles, quarterfinals
[4] Matt Ebden (Australia)/Babora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) v [8] Rohan Bopanna (IND)/Aldila Sutziadi (INA), Court 5, Third Match
Sander Gill (Belgium)/Ellen Perez (Australia) five [WC] Aleksandar Kovacevic (USA)/Tyra Katerina Grant (USA), Stadium 17, Fourth Match
Women’s Singles Round 2
[1] Emerson Jones (Australia) v Alena Kovackova (CZE), Court 9, Third Match
Men’s Doubles 1st Round
[2] Hayden Jones (Australia)/Jagger Ritchie (USA) v Lorenzo Angelini (ITA)/Lorenzo Beraldo (ITA), Court 11, 4th round
> View: US Open 2024 Day 8 Full Schedule
Find out how to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au Get out there and have fun!
