Australian Open LIVE: All the latest updates as Carlos Alcaraz sweeps past Alex de Minaur in straight sets – after controversial umpire call rocks Aussie star

He’s hanging in there by a thread, but frustration is beginning to mount for De Minaur, whose hopes of making his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final are waning quickly.

Alcaraz 7-5, 6-2, 4-1 De Minaur

After taking a 6-2 victory in the second set, Alcaraz pressed further on the Australian, who struggled to quell the advances of the six-time Grand Slam winner.

Alcaraz had looked a little shaky on his service throughout the match, with De Minaur capitalising on a few unforced errors from the Spaniard to take a love-30 lead in the third game of the third set.

The two-time Wimbledon champion rallied to pull the game back to 30-30, before gifting De Minaur a break point chance by sending a groundstroke over the baseline.

There was more tough luck for De Minaur, who gave a point back to Alcaraz after missing the baseline by quite literally a millimetre.

The pair duelled again at deuce but Alcaraz would ultimately hold serve, after De Minaur smashed a forehand into the net.

Alcaraz 7-5, 6-2, 3-1 De Minaur

The roof is still open here at Rod Laver arena and temperatures are cooling off a tad.

It was around 39C at Melbourne Park before this match began, and there had been some talk over whether Tennis Australia would shut the roof and turn up the air conditioning.

It’s been the second-hottest record at the Australian Open today and both Alcaraz and De Minaur are sweating buckets out on Rod Laver Arena.

Alcaraz has taken a commanding lead in this second set, sweeping his way past De Minaur to go 5-2 up and De Minaur is now fighting to hold serve at deuce, to save a set point.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka has been speaking in her post-match press conference and made a pointed joke at Jannik Sinner and the heat.

The Italian former world No 1 had been called ‘lucky’ over the weekend after he appeared to cramp up during Eliot Spizzirri due to the extreme heat in Melbourne. In a fortunate turn of events for the defending Australian Open champion, Tennis Australia subsequently decided to close the roof as the mercury crept above 40C.

‘I got lucky with the heat rule,’ Sinner said.

But as temperatures soared again on Tuesday, Sabalenka, who beat Iva Jovic to advance to the semi-finals, shot a barb at Sinner.

‘It was hot out there. I guess yeah, as a woman we are stronger than the guys, so they had to close the roof so they don’t suffer you know?’ the world No 1 said.

It’s almost a carbon copy of how the first set started…

De Minaur went 3-0 down, held service to pull a game back and is once again growing into this match.

With new balls in play, De Minaur seems to be hitting his groundstrokes with a little more venom.

He and Alcaraz are duelling with some fiery forehands, but De Minaur presses a little too much.

He overcooks a groundstroke to give Alcaraz a chance to win the game at 40-15.

De Minaur outfoxed Alcaraz in the next game, sending a deft backhand swipe across the net. The Spaniard arrived to clip the ball back over the net, but De Minaur responded, sending the ball into the back-left corner of the court.

Alcaraz laughed following the brilliant exchange but responded with a statement of intent.

He sent down a booming ace to his opponent, and despite De Minaur’s sensational return game, the Aussie just couldn’t reach the ball in time.

It was a brilliant strike by Alcaraz, who takes a commanding 4-1 lead in the second set.

Alcaraz 7-5, 4-1 De Minaur

The six-time Grand Slam champion has put his foot on the gas pedal at the start of the second set, claiming an early break.

De Minaur gallantly attempted to fend off the advances of Alcaraz, saving a break in the second game, but couldn’t hold service.

Problems are mounting here for the world No 6, with De Minaur now having lost five games on the bounce.

Despite having clawed the third game back to 30-30, Alcaraz closes out again, forcing De Minaur to the net with a deft drop shot. De Minaur couldn’t reach the ball in time, which appeared to spin away from him.

Alcaraz then held serve to take a 3-0 lead in the second set.

Alcaraz 7-5, 3-0 De Minaur

Julie Neale was spotted at Rod Laver Arena earlier today, taking in the atmosphere.

The West Australian hair stylist and social media star was invited to the tennis as a guest of Piper-Heidsieck.

It comes less than a month after AFL star Lachie Neale had announced that the pair were separating.

Julie and the Brisbane Lions midfielder were married in 2018. In December, she took to Instagram to reveal that she had suffered the ‘ultimate betrayal’ after rumours had emerged that the couple were working through some issues in their marriage.

She has since moved back to her home state of WA with the couple’s two young children, while Neale has moved out of the couple’s $2.43m mansion in Brisbane into a new apartment.

The two-time Brownlow Medal winner, who has also stood down as the Lions’ captain at the start of January, could also lose a string of endorsement deals as part of the couple’s recent marriage breakdown.

READ MORE BELOW…

Despite De Minaur’s best efforts, Alcaraz drew on his big game experience to see out the first set.

The Australian was on the back foot after going 3-0 down in the first set, but did not relent.

He capitalised on some poor errors from his opponent, particularly on his serve to claw his way back to 6-5. But Alcaraz was too good.

De Minaur just couldn’t hold out to his opponent’s advances in the final game, going down 40-love.

He would gallantly save three break points and there was a glimmer of hope, as De Minaur took the final exchange to deuce.

But it was not to be for the 26-year-old, who succumbed to Alcaraz’s advances.

Alcaraz 7-5, 1-0 De Minaur

The chair umpire has bizarrely handed De Minaur a warning for slow play here and the Australian looks stumped!

De Minaur had stepped up to the baseline and was bouncing the ball, preparing to serve before the umpire issued the warning over her microphone.

Boos rang out at Rod Laver Arena and the Australian world No 6 looked stumped.

Alcaraz then stepped into the middle of the court and in what was a brilliant show of sportsmanship from the Spaniard, he told the umpire ‘I wasn’t ready.’

Despite his commendable actions, it seemed that the warning was not rescinded, with De Minaur going on to serve.

If De Minaur gets another warning, it will result in a loss of first serve.

‘It was just a bizarre time for the umpire to get involved, it was a change of ends, just as De Minaur was coming up to the line,’ Tim Henman told TNT Sports.

Alcaraz had also looked stumped by the controversial decision.

One fan branded it an ‘absolutely horrific time violation warning from the chair umpire just as De Minaur was about to serve to stay in the first set at 5-6.’

I think this might be one of the best matches I’ve watched at the Australian Open this year… and we’re only 45 minutes in!

That was another great passage of play from De Minaur. He’s lost service twice now to Alcaraz, but when it perhaps counted most, held off the world No 1’s advances at deuce to serve out the match.

De Minaur has never made it past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam but tonight the fans have been lauding the Australian who has certainly ‘turned up his level’.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, is also showing his class serving out the 11th game to love to go 6-5 up.

Alcaraz 6-5 De Minaur.

Alcaraz is again struggling with his service game.

He’s made just 52 per cent of his first serves and it’s proving costly.

At 5-3 in the set, Alcaraz again tries to move De Minaur around the court, but the hometown hero is just too quick.

De Minaur rushes to the net and clips a sensational drop shot from Alcaraz back over the net. It was a sensational piece of athleticism from the Aussie, who then smashed down a return from Alcaraz to secure a chance to win a break point.

With the momentum and the crowd on his back, De Minaur returned a booming serve from Alcaraz and brilliantly beat his opponent with a winner down the left tramline to claim another break.

This is a sensational comeback from De Minaur who had previously gone 3-0 down against the World No 1.

Alcaraz 5-4 De Minaur

De Minaur has never beaten Carlos Alcaraz in their five meetings.

The Australian has been brilliant, clawing his way back to 4-3 after going 3-0 down earlier on.

But Alcaraz’s big game experience is coming to the fore.

With De Minaur on serve, Alcaraz goes 40-love up. De Minaur fends off his advances well to save a breakpoint. But the Spaniard suffocates the Australian, pinning him to his baseline before taking another break to go 5-3 up.

Alcaraz 5-3 De Minaur

Coco Gauff erupted in a fit of rage following her quarter-final loss by Elina Svitolina at Rod Laver Arena this evening.

If you missed it, Tamara Prenn has the full story below…