Alex de Minaur has again shown he means business this Australian Open, reaching the fourth round after overcoming a tricky test from Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli 6-3 6-3 6-1.

Novak Djokovic also fought into the fourth round with a three-set win over No.30 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, by far the strongest performance of the Serbian star’s tournament so far.

Elsewhere, a qualifier ranked 170th in the world – and playing in her first Grand Slam – delivered a staggering upset over a 10th seed.

Now Aussie Storm Hunter is hoping to match De Minaur’s efforts when she faces ninth-seed Barbora Krejcikova in a Rod Laver showdown.

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DEMON DELIGHT AS STAR MATCHES HEWITT RECORD

The first two sets were tighter than the scoreline suggests, with the pair racking up a mountain of break point opportunities in a tense encounter on John Cain Arena.

That included a whopping 22-point, 15-minute game early in the second set, with 10th seed De Minaur needing nine break points to finally get beyond his opponent.

Both players struggled to land their first serves with regularity – the Australian serving at 52 per cent and the Italian at 57 per cent.

“I struggled a bit to find my rhythm throughout the match,” De Minaur conceded afterwards.

But the ceaseless pressure of De Minaur was simply too much for his opponent, the Aussie saving seven of the eight break points he faced while breaking his opponent six times from 20 break point attempts.

It was “two hours of relentless intensity from De Minaur,” as tennis great John McEnroe said in commentary.

But after two tight opening sets, De Minaur increasingly found his groove and raced to the finish line as Cobolli grew increasingly tired and dispirited, understandable given he had to win three qualifying matches just to make the main draw.

Jim Courier said in commentary in the third set: “The Demon’s feeling it now.”

McEnroe added: “He’s strutting around there.”

“He’s got better as the match has gone on,” Lleyton Hewitt said.

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With his victory, De Minaur becomes the first Aussie man to make three straight fourth rounds (or better) at the Australian Open after Hewitt achieved the feat across 2003-05 – reaching the final in 2005.

The No.10 seed was gifted a kind run into the third round, dropping a set to Milos Raonic but then seeing the big Canadian retire hurt, before cruising past Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets.

Cobolli defeated No.18 seed Nicolas Jarry in five sets in the opening round, and was undoubtedly an easier proposition than the Chilean star.

But John McEnroe said De Minaur is “playing with more confidence than I’ve ever seen,” adding it looks like he the Aussie believes he can do ‘something big’ at his home slam.

De Minaur said: “It feels a bit different this time, maybe, like we’re getting to the tail end of the tournament and the matches are definitely going to be very tough.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve played some great tennis, started the year amazingly and hopefully I can keep it going in front of you guys.”

De Minaur will now face either No.29 seed Sebastian Korda or No.5 seed Andrey Rublev on Sunday night. Korda and Rublev face off tonight in the second match on Margaret Court Arena.

In his on-court interview after the match, Jim Courier said to De Minaur: “We don’t know who your opponent is going to be. They are just getting ready to go. Andrey Rublev or Sebastian Korda, both terrific players and both players you have beaten in the past.

“What do you think about that potential matchup? Do you have a preference?”

But Courier quickly backtracked, hilariously admitting: “That’s a terrible question, the worst question ever. Let me retract that!”

The tennis icon managed a much more straightforward question at the second go, saying: “How do you like your chances to make it to your first Australian Open quarterfinal?”

“It’s all going to come down to the level I bring the following match,” De Minaur replied. “I’ve got to back myself up, I’ve got to believe, got to play positive tennis. I know the whole crowd is going to be behind me and I’m going to enjoy every second of it.”

DJOKER SENDS WARNING TO RIVALS AFTER FINALLY FIRING

It has been far from a straightforward start to Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record-breaking 25th grand slam singles title, the No.1 seed struggling with illness and performing well below his best in the opening two matches.

But the Serbian superstar finally threw off the shackles as he overcame 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3 6-3 7-6(2).

“It was a great match,” Djokovic said afterwards, calling it “the best performance I had during this tournament” – and not facing a single break point all match.

Playing against his childhood idol, Etcheverry held his own throughout rallies, but in the first set played noticeably safer than Djokovic’s previous two opponents, allowing the 10-time champion to dictate points.

Djokovic had looked a little vulnerable in his first two matches, dropping the second set against teenager Dino Prizmic and Australia’s Alexei Popyrin before rallying back to win.

While Etcheverry has been in fine form in Melbourne having dispatched both Andy Murray and Gael Monfils in straight sets, Djokovic looked a class above in the opening stages, taking the first set 6-3 with little fuss, holding his serve with ease.

Djokovic would break again to start the second set, performing at a high level despite still showing signs of the illness that has hampered him in the tournament so far, before breaking again to seal the set.

But Etcheverry raised his level in a far closer third set, forcing the Serbian star to respond in kind – though one moment left Nick Kyrgios fuming in the commentary box.

The world No.1 was serving at 1-1 in the third set when he was called for a time violation.

“Not necessary. You’re ridiculous. Just ridiculousness. It’s like they get bored and they just want to say something, instead of the score. Ridiculous,” Kyrgios said on Eurosport.

Etcheverry fought hard to send it to a tiebreak, but the all-time great found another level at the crucial moment.

Djokovic roared to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak and was never going to let it slip from there, sealing the breaker and the match with a thunderous ace, claiming his 100th match at Melbourne Park thanks to a 7-2 tiebreak.

“He stepped it up, I think he raised his level of tennis one or two levels in the third set, we went toe-to-toe,” Djokovic said afterwards.

Commentator John Fitzgerald said on Channel 9: “He seemed a little drained to me. Looks like he has got a cold, it can’t be too bad but it can drain the energy levels.

“I think he will be relieved to win that (set) rather than going through to a fourth set.”

Djokovic will face either French 20th seed Adrian Mannarino or American 16th seed Ben Shelton in the fourth round, the pair engaged in a four-hour-plus five-set epic on Kia Arena.

QUALIFIER’S SEVEN-YEAR FIRST STUNS

Qualifier Maria Timofeeva became the lowest-ranked woman into the Australian Open fourth round since 2017 on Friday when she upset 10th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia to keep her fairytale run going.

Playing at her first Grand Slam, the 20-year-old showed nerves of steel to down the Brazilian 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena.

The victory added to her burgeoning reputation, having already beaten former champion Caroline Wozniacki.

She joins another young Russian, Mirra Andreeva, in the last 16 and will play unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk for a place in the quarter-finals.

At 170 in the world, Timofeeva is the lowest-ranked woman to get so far in Melbourne since Germany’s Mona Barthel seve years ago.

“It feels like a fairytale, but with the support of this amazing crowd, I feel like anything is possible,” she said. “This is all a new experience and I’m enjoying every second of it.

“Once I got to the main draw, I thought why not stay longer and enjoy this as long as possible and that really is the motivation.”

– AFP

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NIGHT 6 ORDER OF PLAY (Show Courts – all times AEDT)

From 7pm

ROD LAVER ARENA

No.1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. No.30 Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG) 6-3 6-3 7-6(2)

Storm Hunter (AUS) vs No.9 Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)

MARGARET COURT ARENA

Maria Timofeeva (RUS) vs No.10 Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)

No.29 Sebastian Korda (USA) vs No.5 Andrey Rublev (RUS)

JOHN CAIN ARENA

Not before 7pm: No.10 Alex de Minaur (AUS) def. Flavio Cobolli (ITA) 6-3 6-3 6-1