Australia’s Alex De Minaur made history at Wimbledon on Monday, reaching the tournament’s quarterfinals for the first time. He achieved this feat by defeating the rising French star Arthur Fils in a hard-fought four-set match, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
De Minaur, the ninth seed, looked in complete control for the first two sets against the 20-year-old Fils. Fils, however, displayed remarkable resilience and fighting spirit. He was aiming to become the youngest Frenchman in the professional era to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal, and he pushed De Minaur to the limit. The match, played on Court One, saw Fils make a strong comeback, forcing a fourth set.
De Minaur, cheered on by his girlfriend, British number one Katie Boulter, managed to regain his composure in the fourth set and nip Fils’ comeback in the bud. However, a worrying development occurred towards the end of the match. De Minaur appeared to be experiencing some discomfort, raising concerns about a potential injury.
When asked if he had sustained an injury, De Minaur, who will now face either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or Denmark’s Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, reassured fans, stating, “I’ll be alright. I made it harder than I should have and happy to get over the finish line.”
De Minaur has previously reached two Grand Slam quarterfinals, falling to Dominic Thiem at the 2020 U.S. Open and Alexander Zverev at the French Open this year. His Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance marks a significant achievement in his career, but the injury concern casts a shadow over his potential for further success in the tournament.
