Insolite - Boulter congratulates De Minaur in her own way: "I'm not sure we're compatible yet"
Alex De Minaur is playing much better than expected at Roland Garros. Renowned for being a fast surface specialist, the Australian is showing his immense progress on clay.
Having arrived in Paris with less than optimal confidence, De Minaur is bluffing the world. Very strong in his first two matches, humiliating Michelsen (6-1, 6-0, 6-2) and then seriously overpowering Munar (7-5, 6-1, 6-4), he upset the odds in the third round.
Faced with an in-form Struff (winner of the Munich title and a tough competitor against Tsitsipas and Alcaraz), he put in a fine display of tennis, blowing away an under-strength German opponent (4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3). The over-motivated world no. 11 didn't stop there, however, as he upset world no. 5 Daniil Medvedev in the Round of 16 (4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3).
Now through to the quarter-finals, he is set to face Alexander Zverev, recent winner of the Rome Masters 1000 (this Wednesday, not before 8.15pm). Whatever the result tonight, his level of play on the ochre surface is impressing many.
In this respect, the reaction of his partner Katie Boulter (ranked 28th in the world) is well worth watching. Although she has yet to win a single match in her career at Roland-Garros, the 27-year-old encouraged, in her own way, the man who has shared her life for the past 4 years.
Boulter: "I'm not sure we're compatible anymore (laughing smiley). He's a dirt dog now." (message posted on Instagram story).
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