Djokovic looked in ominous touch as he made more history at the All England Club.
Alex de Minaur will have the chance to erase his Wimbledon heartache from 12 months ago after setting up a mouthwatering last-16 clash with Novak Djokovic. The Aussie tennis star marched through his fourth round encounter against Danish qualifier August Holmgren in straight sets, while Djokovic looked in ominous touch in a ruthless display against compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic as he notched a landmark 100th Wimbledon singles win.
De Minaur and Djokovic were supposed to meet in the fourth round at the All England Club last year but a hip injury meant the Aussie had to withdraw. But after setting up the blockbuster showdown against the Serb with a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory over Holmgren, the 11th seed couldn’t hide his excitement about finally earning a crack at “the ultimate challenge” in tennis.
“It’s funny how life works. It was a brutal time for me last year having to deal with all of those emotions, but here we are a year later feeling good, ready to go, and I’m going to get my chance again,” de Minaur said. “Now I’m getting to play Novak on one of his favourite, if not his favourite, surfaces and his favourite tournament. So it’s going to be the ultimate challenge, and I’m excited for it.”
Twelve months ago, ‘Demon’ had been in spectacular form until injury struck right at the end of his victory over Frenchman Arthur Fils in the fourth round. The Aussie suffered the season-compromising hip injury that prevented him meeting the 24-time grand slam champ in the last-eight.
But the 26-year-old is looking sharper again since taking a recent break from tennis. And it was in evidence as he ended the fairytale run of Holmgren, who saved three match points in his final qualifying match and three more in his second-round victory. The big-serving Dane served 61 aces throughout the tournament and came up with what Demon called “clutch tennis” in their match.
“He’s got an unbelievable serve, a great forehand. He takes the racquet out of your hand, and when he’s playing with a lot of confidence, it makes a very tricky opponent. I had to bring some of my best tennis, especially in those tough moments. He’s had a hell of a tournament.”
Demon’ broke just the once in the opener at 4-4 and the prospect of Holmgren levelling up in the second was very much alive as they contested a tight second-set tiebreak. But de Minaur got lucky with a serve that kicked up off the chalk to earn set point and Holmgren then produced a deflating double fault.
Another double from Holmgren in the third stanza gave Demon the key break for 4-2 before he went on to seal victory in two hours 21 minutes. De Minaur and Jordan Thompson are now the last two Aussies standing out of the 17 original starters in singles after Daria Kasatkina was beaten in a one-sided contest against Liudmila Samsonova, 6-2 6-3.