Alex de Minaur kept Australia’s United Cup chances alive by defeating Hubert Hurkacz to level their tie with Poland.
Iga Swiatek had destroyed Maya Joint in less than an hour to give Poland a 1-0 lead, but de Minaur found a way to defeat a resurgent Hurkacz in three sets.
De Minaur has beaten Jakub Mensik and lost to Casper Ruud at the United Cup as he has begun his season by representing Australia.
The Australian’s performances for his nation at the United Cup have allowed him to overtake an impressive Rafael Nadal record.
Alex de Minaur has won more matches in Australia than Rafael Nadal
De Minaur picked up his 45th win in Australia since 2016 by defeating Hurkacz at the United Cup, which is the fourth most in that time according to OptaAce.
The Australian has now won two more matches in that time than Nadal managed in the same time period.
Will Alex de Minaur finish 2026 ranked inside the top five?
Only Daniil Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov, and Novak Djokovic have won more matches in Australia since 2016 than de Minaur.
Considering de Minaur has only ever reached as far as the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, that is a mightily impressive record for the Aussie.
De Minaur has a chance to bolster his record as he returns to his home Grand Slam in Melbourne, looking to become the first Australian to win the tournament since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
Alex de Minaur’s sole singles win on Australian soil
Despite his clear winning success in Australia, de Minaur has only ever lifted one trophy at a home tournament.
The Australian’s sole win on home soil came at the 2019 Sydney International, when he was just 19 years old.
De Minaur defeated Jordan Thompson and Gilles Simon to set up a tantalising final against Andreas Seppi.
The Aussie beat the Italian in straight sets to win the trophy to become the youngest winner of the tournament since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001, and the first Australian to claim the prize since Bernard Tomic in 2013.
The victory also confirmed De Minaur’s very first ATP Tour title.
