Alex de Minaur insists he is ready to lead Australia's 15-strong contingent at the US Open, brushing aside a challenging draw that could see him face familiar rivals early on. The world No 8 arrives at Flushing Meadows in confident form after claiming his 10th career title in Washington and reaching the quarter-finals in Cincinnati, securing a top-eight seeding in the process.
The Australian will open his campaign against compatriot Chris O'Connell in an all-Aussie first-round encounter. Despite potential early meetings with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Hugo Gaston, who both hold dominant head-to-head records over him, De Minaur is focused squarely on O'Connell. 'I know Chris really well,' De Minaur said. 'We actually played in the Australian Open wildcard playoff, my first ever wildcard playoff when I was about 16, 17, and he absolutely bullied me on the court. He's a great guy from Sydney. Amazing what he's achieved, even recently, and I'm expecting a battle.'
De Minaur's confidence marks a stark contrast to last year, when he battled a hip injury to reach a fourth consecutive grand slam quarter-final despite being severely underdone. 'Last year there was a lot of uncertainty where I was even going to step on court,' he recalled. 'I wasn't really sure and it ended up being a pretty surreal week. Now this year I feel in a really good spot mentally, physically and ready to get going. I'd much rather be a top-eight seed than just outside. It's definitely a different mindset.'
Should he live up to his seeding, De Minaur is projected to meet world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, with reigning champion Jannik Sinner likely awaiting in the semi-finals. Sinner and second seed Carlos Alcaraz have shared the past seven grand slam titles between them, a challenge De Minaur acknowledges. 'Ultimately right now they are the two players to beat, right? They've shown it,' he said. 'That's the challenge for us. We've got to do our best to rise up to the challenge and take it.'
While De Minaur and O'Connell do not play until Tuesday or Wednesday AEST, three fellow Australians feature on the opening day. Destanee Aiava takes on Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini in the night match on Louis Armstrong Stadium, Rinky Hijikata faces 32nd seed Luciano Darderi, and Jordan Thompson meets Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
