Alex de Minaur survives Australian Open scare as Milos Raonic retires hurt

Alex de Minaur has secured his place in the second round of the Australian Open despite a scare on Monday night, and has pledged to get revenge against his next opponent Matteo Arnaldi for last year’s Davis Cup final defeat.

Australia’s top-ranked player prevailed on Rod Laver Arena against Milos Raonic after the Canadian was forced to withdraw due to a leg injury with the match finely poised at one set all with Di Minaur 2-0 up in the third.

The Australian said it wasn’t the way he wanted to go through but, given the way he recovered after losing the first set on a tiebreaker, he feels he can still take something from the match.

“I’m going to stay calm and collected and five-set matches are very long,” he said afterwards.

“It doesn’t matter what position you’re in, stay calm and collected and always believe in myself to change the situation, any situation.”

Raonic, who has been ranked as high as No 3 in the world, had tested the home favourite with his powerful serve and daring groundstrokes.

His performance stunned the near-capacity crowd at the 14,500-seat Rod Laver Arena, the vast majority of whom had turned up to watch the first Australian man ranked in the world’s top 10 since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.

But Raonic’s serve proved to be the early attraction. With the ball in hand in a tight first set, he was almost impervious, delivering nine aces and not giving up a single break point chance in the first hour.

Against the mobile de Minaur, it was clear the Canadian was trying to end points quickly. And it largely worked, thanks to his 21 winners.

The only time De Minaur found an edge was a mini-break in the tiebreak, but the Australian quickly lost the advantage by double-faulting. A frustrated hop and glance at his box underscored the significance of the moment. A minute later and he had lost the set.

“I just got tight in the big moments. But it is what it is,” De Minaur said. “It’s a five-set match, so I told myself to [regroup] and start again for the second.”

The Australian said he noticed his opponent lose speed in his serve and some mobility during the second set, which de Minaur won 6-3 against the backdrop of a dazzling Melbourne sunset.

Just as the crowd were settling into another late night, the contest was over with the Canadian limping to the net to shake the hand of the surprised Australian.

De Minaur had beaten three top 10 players at the United Cup in Perth in the lead-up to the tournament, including world No 1 Novak Djokovic.

That lifted the expectations of the attendees at Melbourne Park.

“It’s no secret I’ve started the year pretty well,” he said. “Now it’s all about keeping my head down and trying to keep doing the same thing.”

But he said he didn’t feel any additional pressure at his home grand slam.

“I don’t really associate playing in Australia as nerve-wracking, or more pressure. In fact, I associate it as just excitement. I walk out and I’ve got an unbelievable crowd behind me.”

He said he was now focused on the next round, and his Italian opponent Arnaldi.

The world number 41 beat Alexei Popyrin in the first singles rubber in last year’s Davis Cup final, which meant De Minaur’s subsequent loss against Jannik Sinner ended the tie.

“I do associate Matteo as the guy that beat us in the Davis Cup final, so I’ll do my best to hopefully get some revenge,” De Minaur said.

“He’s a quality opponent, but I’ll be ready for it, hopefully.”

The strong evening turnout was part of a record first Monday attendance at the tournament, attracting 81,472 spectators and eclipsing last year’s number by more than 2,000 people.