'Filthy video game tennis' - The words of Jim Courier as Alex de Minaur once again delights home Australian Open crowd in Frances Tiafoe statement

Friday, 23 January 2026 at 12:27

Alex de Minaur will return to the fourth round at his home Grand Slam for a fifth consecutive year. The World No.6 dropped serve just once as he toppled Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 under the lights of Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open.

De Minaur as a result became just the second Australian man since John Newcombe did it in 1969-1976 to reach the last 16 in Melbourne in five consecutive years. Newcombe did it in eight so while he has some way to go, he is closing ever closer to that feat. He is a player who thrives under the pressure of being the top Aussie especially in an era where Ashleigh Barty has retired and Nick Kyrgios is a faded power now.

One constant presence has been the Aussie ace known as Demon and he has been there as others have faded away. He could feasibly face Carlos Alcaraz in the Quarter-Finals but next up will be either Alexander Bublik or Tomas Martin Etcheverry who are currently facing off in the last men's match of the day.

Filthy video game tennis sums it up from Courier

De Minaur kept running all match and confounded his opponent to 'video game tennis'. Tiafoe did not have any answers and couldn't win any levels.

As Jim Courier said himself in commentary for Nine, it was 'filthy video game tennis' as in the second set he changed direction with a slice backhand which only just narrowly cleared the net and summed up the locked in laser sharp precision in which De Minaur claimed the win.

Tiafoe stepped it up but a cross court forehand winner from De Minaur saw him regain control towards the end of the tie as he was always going to produce the goods in the end.

"Frances is a hell of a competitor, a hell of a player. It was a hell of a battle, so huge respect to him. I played some of my best tennis of the tournament for two and a half sets, and he just lifted it when he needed it," said De MInaur.

"He started going big, he started returning and playing with some great depth, taking the racquet out of my hand, and I just had to manage it. It was quite stressful at the end, but I’m very relieved that I got over the line."

Marriage planning skills called into question

But he also touched upon the pressure of being the top name in Aussie tennis. "In my brain, I don’t associate playing in Australia with playing under pressure. I associate it with excitement. Since I was a little kid, this is where I wanted to be — where I wanted to play, in front of packed crowds. I’m truly fortunate to be in this position. And yes, it gets stressful at times, but that’s only because I want it so bad. So I’ll do my best."

He also hilariously had an interaction with Jim Courier who doubted his wedding planning abilities and whether or not he's leaving it to Katie Boulter. "Are you doubting me, Jim?" quipped De Minaur. "I am definitely doubting you," replied Courier.

But De Minaur had a touche moment saying that Courier hasn't been married so doesn't know while he is a 50/50 shareholder in his relationship. "No, this is a 50-50 relationship, right? You’ve not been married — you don’t know. You’re about to become a 49% shareholder of a really great company.

Honestly, the fact that we’re both tennis players and we’ve both got quite busy schedules means we’re doing as much as we can together. I’ve been involved so far with some of the decisions. I’m sure when it comes to the details — like napkins, flowers and decoration — that’s not my forte. I’ll leave that to Katie."

Match Statistics Tiafoe vs. de Minaur

Tiafoe	VS	de Minaur
	Service
6	Aces	8
1	Double Faults	6
59% (60/101)	1st Service Percentage	62% (60/97)
60% (36/60)	1st Service Points Won	78% (47/60)
51% (21/41)	2nd Service Points Won	51% (19/37)
58% (7/12)	Break Points Saved	60% (3/5)
67% (10/15)	Service Games	88% (14/16)
	Return
22% (13/60)	1st Return Points Won	40% (24/60)
49% (18/37)	2nd Return Points Won	49% (20/41)

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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