Alex de Minaur is a terribly difficult player to take on. He doesn't possess any elite shots, though he is solid all around, but he simply chases down nearly everything in his way. An opponent has to win what amounts to multiple points in order to win one.
This is why the Aussie might never win a Grand Slam, but he is likely to hover around the top 10 on the ATP tour for quite some time. He doesn't give in easily, and he doesn't give up points easily. An opponent has to play extra-level tennis for an entire match to move past him.
Oddly, while de Minaur and his Canadian Open fourth-round opponent, Frances Tiafoe, have both ranked inside the top 20 for much of the last couple of years, they hadn't played one another since 2022. In other words, they might know each other's game from afar, but didn't have much personal experience about what they needed to do to beat the other.
Alex de Minaur defeats Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round at the Canadian Open
The first set was quick and easy for the Aussie, though. The American landed only 39 percent of his first serves, and against a great defensive player like Alex de Minaur, that is not going to make for winning tennis.
Plus, the Aussie was able to win 64 percent of the points on Tiafoe's second serve. De Minaur won set one 6-2 and appeared well on his way to an easy match victory. Not so far, however.
The American raised his level in the second set and became much more aggressive. He was willing to have some unforced errors in return for more winners. After having six winners and a horrid 20 unforced errors in the first set, Tiafoe was able to get those numbers to 12 and 16, respectively, in set two.
De Minaur suddenly had no answer for Frances Tiafoe's power late in the second set, and the American got a late break to take the set 6-4 and even the match. De Minaur also won just 13 of his 29 serve points.
The third set was tight throughout. With Tiafoe serving at 4-all, though, de Minaur likely played the point of the match when he got to two balls that few other players could have. His speed was immense, and his ability to then place the ball once he got to it kept Tiafoe off-balance. The Aussie was able to get the break and only had to hold serve to take the match. he did to win 6-2 4-6 6-4.
Alex de Minaur will next play the winner of the Flavio Cobolli and Ben Shelton match in the quarterfinals. The Canadian Open is shaping up to potentially be Alex de Minaur's first Masters 1000 title.