Alex De Minaur of Australia defeated Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 5-7, 10-3 in a pre-Australian Open exhibition match in Melbourne on Wednesday evening.
Following his victory over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the United Cup last week, the Australian has continued to build on his impressive 2024 start by defeating the world No. 2 in front of his home supporters.
Regarding his performance in the charitable match, de Minaur exclaimed, “I’m very happy.” “I’m entering Melbourne at a solid level. 2024 has treated me well; I’ve had a great time with it.
De Minaur, who this Monday made his maiden appearance in the world’s top 10, played confidently against Alcaraz and won the opening set 6-4. With a fiercely contested 7-5 second set, the two-time Grand Slam champion immediately recovered to force a match tiebreak in the exhibition match.
De Minaur easily won the 10-point tiebreak despite having just dropped the second set, winning the match and go on to secure his second top five victory in the previous week.
“I’m eager to start here in Melbourne and hopefully I can keep it going,” de Minaur stated following the match regarding the forthcoming Australian Open.
With a home audience and tremendous confidence, it’s safe to assume that de Minaur will be a player to watch going into the first Grand Slam of the year.
