NEW YORK (Reuters) -Alex de Minaur reached his third U.S. Open quarter-final with a dominant victory over Leandro Riedi on Monday and then turned his mind to the next step — reaching the semi-finals at a major for the first time.
The Australian’s 6-3 6-2 6-1 win over the 435th-ranked Swiss qualifier secured the eighth seed a spot in the last eight of a Grand Slam for the sixth time, but he has never managed to even win a set at that stage of a major.
“I’ve always thought that the first job is to get there, right, and give myself the opportunity,” he told reporters.
“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.
“It’s about embracing it, right? 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 has benefited from a kind draw at Flushing Meadows this year that has allowed him to get to the business end of the tournament without facing an opponent in the top 50 of the world rankings.
If the seedings had held, the 26-year-old would be preparing for a clash with Alexander Zverev on Wednesday but the world number three was evicted by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.
The big-serving Canadian, a semi-finalist at the U.S. Open four years ago, looked in fine form as he swatted aside Andrey Rublev in the fourth round on Monday and holds a 2-1 edge in career meetings with De Minaur.
“I’m giving myself a chance at playing for a semi-final, right? These are the matches I want to be playing in,” said De Minaur.
“For me it’s about going for it, going for the opportunity, and I’m very excited for it.
“I think 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.
“He’s got moments on the court where he’s unbeatable, and then there’s moments that he’ll give you a couple of errors, right? For me it’s about weathering the storm.”
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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