Alex de Minaur’s Grand Slam Nightmare Continues At US Open
Look, we’ve all been there. That moment when you’re this close to breaking through, when everything you’ve worked for comes down to one match, one set, one point. For Alex De Minaur, Wednesday’s quarterfinal loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime wasn’t just another defeat—it was his sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal loss. Six. That’s not bad luck anymore, folks. That’s a pattern.
The Australian speedster fell 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5, 7-6(4) in a grueling four-hour, 10-minute battle that had all the drama of a Broadway show, minus the happy ending for the Aussie faithful. After watching De Minaur dig himself out of countless holes throughout this tournament, this one proved too deep.
De Minaur’s Serving Struggles Tell the Story
Here is where things get ugly for De Minaur supporters. The 26-year-old, who’s built his reputation on court coverage that would make a NASCAR driver jealous, couldn’t find his serve when it mattered most. We’re talking 42% first-serve percentage. In a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Against a guy who’s been waiting four years to get back to this stage.
Eleven double faults will haunt your dreams, and De Minaur served up that nightmare special. Add 43 unforced errors to the mix, and you have a recipe for disappointment that no amount of Australian grit can overcome. The guy who usually makes his opponents run marathons found himself running in circles instead.
Compare that to Auger-Aliassime’s 22 aces—nearly three times De Minaur’s eight—and you start to see where this match was won and lost. When your opponent is firing rockets past you and you’re double-faulting at the worst possible moments, well, tennis can be a cruel mistress.
The Tiebreak That Broke Hearts
The second-set tiebreaker was pure theater, the kind that makes you remember why you fell in love with this sport. At 7-7, with the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium on their feet, De Minaur had his chance, but Auger-Aliassime pushed back a forehand return that skimmed the baseline.
That wry smile De Minaur shot toward his team said it all. Sometimes tennis gives you magic moments—like his ridiculous tweener that landed right on the line earlier in the match. Other times, it gives you heartbreak measured in millimeters.
Auger-Aliassime’s Redemption Story
Credit where credit’s due: Auger-Aliassime played the match of his life when it counted. The Canadian, who’s been wandering in the tennis wilderness since his 2021 semifinal run, found his mojo at exactly the right moment. Down a set and staring at a potential two-set deficit, he clawed back like a man possessed.
“Some days you won’t feel your best, but I was willing to dig really deep and do everything I can,” Auger-Aliassime said afterward, probably still catching his breath. This wasn’t just about tennis technique—though his 51 winners certainly helped tell the story. This was about mental fortitude when the lights are brightest and the stakes are highest. Auger-Aliassime saved a set point in that dramatic second set and came back from 2-5 down in the fourth. That is championship-level composure right there.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Let’s talk about what really matters here. De Minaur now sits at 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals, a stat that’s going to follow him around like a shadow until he breaks through. Six quarterfinals, six losses. That includes two this year alone at the Australian Open and now the US Open.
Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime improved to 3-1 in his head-to-head series with De Minaur and jumped eight spots to 10th in the ATP Live Race to Turin. This deep US Open run, which includes that stunning third-round victory over Alexander Zverev, has the Canadian back in the conversation for year-end honors.
The really painful part for De Minaur? He leads the tour with 28 hard-court wins this season. Twenty-eight wins on his favorite surface, and he still can’t crack the semifinals at a major. That’s got to sting worse than a backhand to the gut.
What’s Next For Both Players
Auger-Aliassime now awaits either defending champion Jannik Sinner or Lorenzo Musetti in what promises to be another epic semifinal. The Canadian has already proven he can hang with the big boys, having knocked off two top-10 seeds in Zverev and De Minaur.
For De Minaur, it is back to the drawing board. The talent is undeniable, but there’s something about the biggest stages that continues to trip him up. Maybe it is the pressure, maybe it is just tennis being tennis, but until he figures out how to close these matches, the questions will keep coming.
The Brutal Reality Of Professional Tennis
Here is the thing about tennis that casual fans don’t always understand: the margins between heartbreak and triumph are razor-thin. One bad service game, one missed opportunity, one ball that lands an inch out instead of in—that’s the difference between a career-defining moment and another “what if” story.
De Minaur has all the tools. The speed, the determination, the fighting spirit that makes you root for the underdog. But tennis doesn’t care about your story or your effort. It only cares about results, and right now, those results aren’t adding up to Grand Slam breakthroughs.
The Australian will get another chance, probably several more chances, to finally crack that semifinal barrier. But each failure makes the next opportunity heavier, the pressure more intense. Time isn’t exactly on his side either, with younger players constantly emerging and the competition getting fiercer every year.
As for Auger-Aliassime, this victory represents more than just a semifinal berth. It’s validation that his 2021 run wasn’t a fluke, that he belongs among tennis’s elite when everything clicks. The Canadian’s power game and newfound mental toughness make him a legitimate threat to win the whole tournament.
