Alex de Minaur sets up Australian Open quarter-final against Jannik Sinner

It's a tough draw ahead for Alex de Minaur, who defeated Alex Michelsen to secure the final spot among the last eight at the Australian Open. With his fourth-round victory in Melbourne, de Minaur has now reached the quarter-finals of all four major ATP events. Facing off against America's 20-year-old Axel Michelsen, de Minaur secured a straight-sets victory at Rod Laver Arena. Awaiting the Australian in the quarter-finals is the defending champion, Jannik Sinner. Sinner defeated Holger Rune in the Round of 16 to reach the quarter-finals of the hard-court Grand Slam event.

Alex de Minaur fends off Alex Michelsen to set-up quarter-final clash against Jannik Sinner

The form of 20-year-old Alex Michelsen, which helped him upset top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, eluded him against de Minaur. Playing in the fourth round in Melbourne for the fourth straight year, the home favorite raced through the first eight games before Michelsen finally got on the board 41 minutes into the match. Cheered on by an energetic home crowd at Rod Laver Arena, de Minaur looked poised to secure a two-set lead while serving at 5-3 before Michelsen raised his game to push the set into a tie-break.

De Minaur showcased his composure under pressure in the tie-breaker. Trailing 4/5, he leveled the score with a forehand winner, followed it up with a commanding first serve to take the lead, and capitalized on a forehand error from Michelsen to claim the set and establish firm control of the match.

"It means the world," De Minaur said on reaching the Australian Open quarter-final. "There is nothing I want to do more than play well here in Australia in front of you guys. I am glad I finally made it to the quarter-finals. Let's go for bigger and better things," he added.

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner faced off against Holger Rune, who reached this stage with victories over Zhang Zhizhen, Matteo Berrettini, and Miomir Kecmanovic. Sinner fended off physical discomfort to claim a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Rune. Now, Sinner will face de Minaur in their quarter-final clash, scheduled for 22 January, Wednesday. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz is set to meet Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, while second-seeded Alexander Zverev faces Tommy Paul. The final quarter-final will see Ben Shelton take on Lorenzo Sonego.