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Alex De Minaur sets up match with former world No. 3 Milos Raonic

By Harry Floyd

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 17: Alex De Minaur of Australia celebrates a win in his match against Alex Bolt of Australia during the Australian Open December Showdown at Melbourne Park on December 17, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 17: Alex De Minaur of Australia celebrates a win in his match against Alex Bolt of Australia during the Australian Open December Showdown at Melbourne Park on December 17, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images) /
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Alex De Minaur is on the verge of one of the biggest matches of his life. The 18-year-old Australian will face former world No. 3 Milos Raonic.

Alex De Minaur is a young Australian player with a wild card entry to the 2018 Brisbane International. He competes a first round win over American Steve Johnson.

The 18-year-old from Sydney is now ready to face former world No. 3 and this week’s fourth seeded Milos Raonic in Brisbane. De Minaur defeats Johnson in straight sets, taking their meeting 7-6 (9-7), 6-4.

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Rallying to defeat the American in his opener, De Minaur is on the verge of a huge match for his young career. Not only will he have the backing of his home country’s crowd, but a win over Raonic could set him up for a cinderella type run at the 2018 Brisbane International.

Alex De Minaur is the current world No. 208 in men’s singles tennis.

Last year, the teenage star did see some success on the ATP World Tour. After reaching the second round at the Australian Open, he would go on to reach as high as the world No. 184 ranking later in the tour.

If he can manage to complete the upset over Raonic, De Minaur will be poised to carry his newfound momentum onward in Brisbane. His New Year’s Eve victory over Johnson sets him up nicely for the second round of play. Raonic has struggled with some minor lingering injuries in recent months and will look to bounce back in the rankings during these early tour events. De Minaur, however, could be able to capitalize on his current momentum and Raonic’s intermittent play toward the end of 2017. The Canadian tennis star last played at the Japan Open in October.

Next: Top 10: Men's Singles Tennis

Any success in Brisbane will set up players for the upcoming Australian Open. Defending champion Roger Federer must be considered the favorite to win the title this year. With several top players in men’s singles tennis dealing with injuries as of late, it could be either Federer or a young star who takes home the title at Melbourne Park. Many rising stars such as Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin, or Alexander Zverev among others could make a run at the Grand Slam event. Even someone such as Alex De Minaur has the chance to play spoiler at the major tournament. Stay tuned to see how far he can advance this week at the Brisbane International. De Minaur squares off with the fourth seeded Raonic on Monday at the ATP World Tour event.

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