No 8 seed needs to avoid history repeating to beat the reigning champion for the first time in their quarter-final
Lose nine times out of 10, and many would give up. But for Alex de Minaur against world No 1 Jannik Sinner, that ratio would be just fine with him. The world No 8 hasn’t beaten the Italian in nine meetings going back to their first encounter in 2019 (apart from a scheduling-related walkover in 2023).
It is no Novak Djokovic-Gael Monfils, which reached 20-0 in favour of the Serb in Brisbane a few weeks ago, but De Minaur’s record against Sinner is one of the most one-sided among current players on tour.