Alex de Minaur will bid for his first Grand Slam semifinal a decade after his first junior major semifinal when he meets Felix Auger-Aliassime.
New York, USA, 3 September 2025 | Jackson Mansell
From a playing perspective, New York has always felt like a home away from home for Alex de Minaur.
With a 22-8 record in men’s singles action, including three quarterfinals and the first top-10 of his career, the US Open is statistically De Minaur’s most successful Slam.
However, his long-standing connection with the tournament dates back further than his time on the ATP Tour.
The world No.8 was a junior semifinalist at Flushing Meadows in 2015 after he advanced to the final four as a qualifier – the first qualifier since Devin Britton in 2008 to reach that stage.
“If we look at results, I think this is by far my best Slam,” De Minaur claimed. “It’s often a question I ask myself of why exactly is it here in New York? And I think I probably put it down to maybe the courts being a little bit quicker here and the conditions and the ball flying through the air a little bit quicker.
“But all the way back to juniors, I had an incredible run from qualifiers all the way to the semifinals. I got my first top-10 win here against Nishikori. First quarterfinal at a Slam was here. I’ve now made three quarters (quarterfinals) here. I get good results here in New York. New York treats me well.”
A consistent performer at Grand Slam level, De Minaur has competed in five of the past seven major quarterfinals. Only Carlos Alcaraz (six), Novak Djokovic (six), and Jannik Sinner (seven) have featured in more.
It is only fitting that De Minaur’s best chance of reaching a Grand Slam men’s singles semifinal yet has eventuated at Flushing Meadows.
READ: De Minaur cruises to US Open quarterfinal
Ranked world No.27, Felix Auger-Aliassime will be De Minaur’s lowest-ranked opponent of his six career Grand Slam quarterfinals – four of which were ranked in the top 10.
The Canadian leads 2-1 in the head-to-head, having won both hardcourt matches at the Cincinnati Masters and Davis Cup final in 2022.
De Minaur, however, emerged victorious in their most recent encounter when he came from a set down to prevail against Auger-Aliassime at the Rome Masters last year.
The Aussie also triumphed over Auger-Aliassime in the boys’ singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon 2016.
“Felix is that type of player that everyone knows that his top level is incredibly high, and when he’s playing with confidence, he’s very tough to beat,” De Minaur said. “This week, he’s obviously playing some incredible tennis, and he’s got a lot of weapons.
MORE: Determined De Minaur targets “new barriers” at US Open
“For me, it’s all about trying to disrupt his rhythm, not give him the chance to bully me on the court. I do my best to counter and dictate whenever I can, and ultimately, I know what I’m getting myself into.
“These are the matches I want to be playing in. For me, it’s about going for it, going for the opportunity, and I’m very excited for it.”
De Minaur hopes to become the first Australian to reach the men’s singles semifinals at Flushing Meadows since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.
“I’ve always thought that the first job is to get there (the quarterfinals) and give myself the opportunity. If I bum out early, I’m never going to get the chance, so at least I’ve got the chance in front of me,” the world No.8 said.
“This is my sixth quarterfinal, so I’ve got some experience. I know what to expect, and the mindset going forward is going to be going for it. There’s no holding back.”
De Minaur will be in action on Thursday morning at 1:30am AEST, which you can watch live on the Nine Network or Stan Sport.
AUSSIES IN ACTION: US OPEN
COMING UP ON DAY 11
Men’s singles, quarterfinals[8] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [25] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) – Arthur Ashe Stadium, first match
Boys’ doubles, second roundCruz Hewitt (AUS)/Nicolas Arseneault (CAN) v Yannik Alvarez (PUR)/Jack Secord (USA) – Grandstand, fifth match
Quad wheelchair singles, first roundHeath Davidson (AUS) v [2] Sam Schroder (NED) – Court 9, first matchJin Woodman (AUS) v [4] Ahmet Kaplan (TUR) – Court 13, first matchBenjamin Wenzel (AUS) v [1] Niels Vink (NED) – Court 13, second match
Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to hit the court and have some fun!
