De Minaur flies flag for Aussies

AS Alex de Minaur notched a quality win in New York, several of his compatriots were plotting a path home.

De Minaur (above) was the only Australian winner on day four of the US Open when he defeated French veteran Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-5 in more than three hours.

The 21-year-old, who will face 11th seed Karen Khachanov in the third round, joined Davis Cup teammate Jordan Thompson in the final 32.

Thompson will chase his best result at a grand slam on Saturday morning when he plays Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin for a place in the fourth round.

There was less joy for former US Open quarter-finalist John Millman, who let slip a lead against American Frances Tiafoe, going down 7-6 (8), 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Sydney’s Chris O’Connell was defeated by last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

But as well as pocketing $136,000, O’Connell now has the belief he can compete against a genuine star.

The Australians who competed in New York needed an exemption from the Australian Government to travel for the US Open.

But leaving Australia is only part of the problem. Getting home is also difficult.

For tennis players, there is an additional issue amid some uncertainty around the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the 2021 Australian Open in January.

Millman, who will travel to Europe for tournaments under a quarantine protocol agreed with US officials, has booked a flight home for November 1 with some trepidation.

He said a fortnight of hard quarantine would effectively prevent players training and had the potential to compromise their preparation for the Australian summer.

“We are not sure what it looks like later this year,” he said.

“It has made it all a little bit more tricky to plan ahead.”