Cult hero De Minaur will have rival for Sydney affections in quarters
Australia's Alex de Minaur has lined up a quarter-final clash with fellow Sydneysider Jordan Thompson after defeating Reilly Opelka in the second round of the Sydney International.
The match will have an emotional edge for de Minaur, who said he saw Thompson as family.
"We both came from here, from Homebush, and he's always been like an older brother to me," de Minaur said. "We have a great relationship, so it's going to be fun to go out there and play against him."
De Minaur survived a rain-interrupted start on Tuesday evening to down Opelka 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) when play resumed under blue skies on Wednesday.
"I had to start like it was just another match," de Minaur said. "The good thing is that I was up a break, and I thought the first game was really important for me to get off to a good start and take care of my service games."
But de Minaur conceded that it was mentally challenging to go from a cool nighttime game to the mid-afternoon sun.
The young gun will play the 63rd-ranked Thompson, a wildcard entry, in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
"I think I got lucky today. Reilly's an incredibly tough opponent," de Minaur said of the big-serving American.
"It's just very tough mentally, because you've got to focus on your end of the court, got to focus on your serve and try to keep holding that and take advantage of the opportunities you have, which are not going to be a lot."
The fifth-seeded teenage ace, who has soared from No.208 to 29th in the world since making the Sydney final last year, has become a cult hero in front of home fans.
"There's nothing better than this. I love playing here. I love playing at home, loving playing in front of you guys and I can't wait to just keep it going," de Minaur said.
But the 19-year-old may have to share some of the crowd support on Thursday with Thompson, who has made the most of his wildcard to reach the last eight for the first time in five attempts. De Minaur said he expected tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt to be on the fence in terms of his support when the two Australians clash, despite Hewitt partnering with Thompson for a win in the doubles on Wednesday.
Thompson and Hewitt downed American Rajeev Ram and Brit Joe Salisbury in straight sets on Wednesday.
In his singles campaign, Thompson beat France's Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3 in the first round then accounted for Japan's Taro Daniel 3-6, 7-6, 6-0 in the second.
with AAP