Alex de Minaur has equalled his best result at the Australian Open and set up a meeting with Novak Djokovic in the fourth round after a straight sets win against Benjamin Bonzi.
The 22nd seed had a battle on his hands early as the players regularly traded breaks before strangling the Frenchman 7-6(0) 6-2 6-1 in two hours, eight minutes at Rod Laver Arena.
De Minaur will now meet Djokovic or in the fourth round, with the Serbian superstar an overwhelming favourite despite his injury issues.
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Both players struggled on their own serve in the first, with De Minaur racing out of the blocks to a break in the opening game but Bonzi regained his composure and broke back shortly after to level the first set at 2-2.
De Minaur got another break to lead 5-3 but once again the plucky Frenchman pulled the game back level as the Australian was broken to love as he tried to serve the set out.
However, the home crowd favourite lifted during the tiebreak, as De Minaur streaked to a 7-0 win to claim the first set at Rod Laver Arena.
The break-fest continued in the second set with the combatants losing their serve each in the first three games, before De Minaur put the foot down and claimed it 6-2.
Losing the first two sets seemed to break Bonzi, as the only Australian seed remaining jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third.
Bonzi did get a break point in the fifth game, but De Minaur managed to hold and then eventually snare the third set and the match 6-1.
The Australian has reached the fourth round for the second time and will take on tournament favourite Djokovic.
It will be the first time De Minaur meets nine-time champion Djokovic in a competitive match.
De Minaur was dismissed by up-and-coming star Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open fourth round last year.
His best result at a grand slam is a US Open 2020 quarter-final where he lost to eventual winner Dominic Thiem.
