Australian Open: Iga Swiatek v Eva Lys, Alex de Minaur v Alex Michelsen – live text and radio commentary

Ryan Harrison
Former American tennis player on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Alex de Minaur speaking on court about reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time: “It means the world. I love you guys too, so much. There is nothing that I want to do more than play well here, in Australia, in front of you guys. I’m glad I finally made it to the quarter-finals here, so let’s go for bigger and better things. Come on!”

On whether getting engaged is lifting his performances on court: “I don’t believe in coincidences. I think that when you are happy off the court, then you play some good tennis on the court.”

On taking the first set 6-0 and pushing back on Alex Michelsen’s resistance: “I had my opportunities in the second set to maybe run away with that one as well and not let him inside the match, but I wasn’t able to close it out. He obviously raised his level and then it made it a tough match. That second set was pivotal so I’m extremely happy I was able to bounce back after that second set break – it was massive. Let’s keep it going.”

On what he has been working on to break into the top 10: “My whole career has been day-by-day, it hasn’t been overnight. I’ve had to keep improving every year, in little increments, to get a little bit stronger and bigger. I’ve been working on getting more free points on my serve and a little bit more confidence. Consistency always pays off in the end.”

On facing Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals: “I did get to watch his match today. It was an interesting one – that’s for sure. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be an incredibly tough match and I’m going to have to do something I haven’t done before, but why not start here!”