“We’re really flying the flag proudly,” Alex de Minaur said, as he breezed past Otto Virtanen in the second round of the US Open. With this victory, De Minaur joined three of his fellow countrymen who marched into the third round of the Grand Slam tournament in New York. Interestingly, it is the first time since 1997 that four Aussies have entered the third round of the US Open in men’s singles. Apart from De Minaur, the other three players are Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, and Chris O’Connell. However, De Minaur faces a stern test ahead in the form of Dan Evans.

At 34, Evans is at the fag end of his tennis career. He won’t get a better chance than this to go deep into the US Open. As he takes on De Minaur, it promises to be an exciting match on the cards for the fans.

Alex de Minaur vs Dan Evans: Preview

The Australian star is the 10th seed at the US Open and one of the dark horses to win the tournament. De Minaur has made a comeback at the US Open after suffering from a hip issue that forced him to miss the Olympic Games in Paris. Despite coming from an injury, he has dominated his opponents in the tournament and has had fairly comfortable wins. Although the 25-year-old lost a set against Marcos Giron in the first round, Alex de Minaur took no time in dispatching Otto Virtanen in the second round. The Aussie has already won a couple of titles on the ATP Tour and will be a strong favorite going into the match against Evans.

Unlike Alex de Minaur, Dan Evans has had a poor 2024 season. The British star has had a series of first-round exits and is yet to win a title this year. Nonetheless, he showed his giant-killing instincts after defeating Karen Khachanov, the 23rd seed, in the first round of the US Open. The match went the distance, with Evans delivering the goods in the fifth set. In the second round though, he had a rather comfortable victory over Mariano Navone, as he won in straight sets. With the unpredictable nature of Evans’ game, it remains to be seen how he performs against Alex de Minaur.

De Minaur vs Evans: Head-to-head

Both De Minaur and Evans are experienced players and have been playing on the tour for long. As a result, the two have found each other on opposite ends of the court quite often, with Evans winning three out of the four matches played between them. Their first clash was on the Challenger Tour in 2018, where De Minaur triumphed in straight sets. However, Evans has gone on to win three straight matches against his Australian opponent after that. Their most recent clash was in the Davis Cup last year, which was won by Evans. Despite having a poor record against Evans, expect De Minaur to come with the goods today.

Prediction: De Minaur to prevail in straight sets

While Alex de Minaur is ranked 10th in the world, Evans lies outside the top 100 of the ATP rankings at the 184th spot. Additionally, De Minaur is predominantly a hard-court player, having grown up playing on such surfaces. What stands out for De Minaur at the ongoing US Open is his win percentage in return games. Against Otto Virtanen, the Aussie won 47% of the receiving points, while his opponent could only win 28% of the return points.

As a result, Alex de Minaur is the favorite going into this contest and he is predicted to win it in straight sets. With the Australian star eager to end his losing streak against Evans, expect a cracker of a contest later today at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.