By Chris Oddo | Thursday January 11, 2018
The biggest surprise of the 2018 tennis season continues to impress. 18-year-old Alex de Minaur of Australia is into his second straight semifinal after knocking off Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 6-4 at the Sydney International on Thursday.
The fiery, diminutive Aussie now owns six tour-level wins in 2018—he won two matches at tour-level all last season.
De Minaur becomes the lowest-ranked semifinalist in Sydney since 1989 with his win. Last week he became the lowest-ranked and youngest semifinalist in Brisbane International history in a week that saw him upset Milos Raonic en route to his first career semifinal.
The World No.167 has wowed the Aussie crowds with explosive footwork, grittiness and a shotmaking flair. He’ll face Benoit Paire on Friday night in Melbourne for a shot to reach his first career final.
Paire eased past Gilles Muller, 6-4, 6-4. Daniil Medvedev and Fabio Fognini will play the other semifinal in Melbourne.
Twitter Reacts to de Minaur’s Rise