Alex de Minaur to face Jannik Sinner as the 'underdog' in Australian Open quarterfinal

Facing a 0-9 head-to-head record against Jannik Sinner, it's no surprise that Alex de Minaur is considered the "underdog" ahead of their Australian Open quarter-final clash on Wednesday. Despite this, de Minaur remains positive, stating that the match is filled with uncertainty.

After his fourth-round victory over Alex Michelsen, de Minaur told reporters, "The great thing about tennis is that once you step on the court, it's 0-0, right? It's a brand new day, a brand new match, and anything can happen. Sport is unpredictable, and that's the mindset I'm going into this match with. I'm excited." De Minaur, making his first quarter-final appearance at his home Grand Slam, faces a daunting task in trying to defeat the world No.1 and defending champion for the first time.

However, from Michelsen's perspective, de Minaur is not without a chance. Michelsen, who lost to de Minaur 6-0, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 on Monday night, hinted at a way for de Minaur to beat Sinner, though he acknowledged it would be a difficult task. "I think against Sinner, if he wants a chance, he can't miss a ball because Sinner is just so incredible," Michelsen said. He believes de Minaur's court coverage and movement speed are crucial to competing with Sinner.

Michelsen also highlighted de Minaur's strengths, saying, "I think Alex got a lot more balls back than the three guys I played before. He's not going to miss a ball, he's not going to give you anything for free." He also encouraged de Minaur to leverage another strength: his backhand. "His backhand is absolutely amazing. He doesn't miss," Michelsen said. "He was hitting his backhand so well down the line today. I didn't expect that, honestly."

Sinner revealed that he felt unwell and dizzy during his round of 16 match against 13th seed Holger Rune, requiring a medical timeout during his four-set victory. But Michelsen is unsure if Sinner's physical condition will favor de Minaur, considering the Italian's mental fortitude. "I saw him [Sinner] struggling today. I don't know what was up with him. But I don't know what that was, but he pulled through. It's not a surprise," Michelsen said. Michelsen also pointed out de Minaur's relatively "weaker" serve, although he acknowledged it has improved since their first encounter in Los Cabos last February.

De Minaur knows he needs to improve his first serve percentage, which has dipped below 50% in the past two rounds. "I think these serves just decided to go on vacation and abandon me for the time being in the last couple of matches," he said. But he added, "I'm confident my serve will come back." If de Minaur defeats Sinner, it would be an upset, but the 25-year-old is happy not to be considered the favorite. De Minaur said, "These are the matches I want to be playing. Ultimately, if anything, this is the first match I'm going into this whole tournament where I'm the underdog and there's no pressure and expectation to win. So it's very exciting, and I'm looking forward to it."