The Australian added 23 winners,peeled off 11 consecutive games mid-match and even landed a 210km/h serve in an ominous display as he continues his pursuit of a maiden Australian Open quarter-final.
But de Minaur,his self-confessed “harshest critic”,warned he had more to give.
“I think so far I have done what I needed to do to win the matches. It hasn’t been probably the prettiest of levels,or my best level,” he said.
“I played two opponents where maybe I haven’t been allowed to be as aggressive as I would like because they’ve got a lot of firepower,but I do think I’ve got a lot more to show.
“Something that I’m very proud of is my willingness to try and win every single point. That’s something,no matter what the scoreline is,I’m constantly drilling myself that I need to win the next point and I need to win[the one after that].
“I am a little bit disappointed in myself for losing focus in the third set there,but,again,I thought it was a pretty good level throughout the whole match.”
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De Minaur has spent fewer than four hours on court through the first two rounds,and next faces 100th-ranked qualifier Flavio Cobolli in a dream third-round draw. Cobolli,21,followed his upset win over 18th-seeded Chilean Nicolas Jarry with a 7-5,6-3,5-7,6-2 defeat of world No. 65 Pavel Kotov.
“Cobolli is a young Italian player,a little bit like Arnaldi. He has firepower[too],” de Minaur said. “He’s rising up the rankings,playing some great tennis. Obviously,he came through quallies,and it’s not easy coming through quallies at a slam,so he’s definitely got a lot of confidence under his belt and will be very difficult to play against.”
The de Minaur camp was wary about the threat Arnaldi presented,having seen him hang tough and beat countryman Alexei Popyrin from a difficult position in the opening match of last year’s Davis Cup final.
The 24-year-old Sydneysider had to absorb some early fireworks,not helped by him struggling to land first serves,with the Italian going on the attack in just the second game to bring up a break point,which he was unable to convert.
That became a theme – and another source of frustration – for Arnaldi,who did not break his rival until his sixth opportunity and while already down two sets and 3-1.
An animated Arnaldi clearly hoped that sizzling backhand would change the course of the match,after he offered little resistance in a second set where he failed to register a game. But a wayward Arnaldi backhand soon after handed the local star a 5-3 edge and as good as sealed the deal.
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