Alex de Minaur in epic career moment as Aussie finds fresh tennis form ahead of Roland Garros

Alex de Minaur continues to prove his credentials having defeated Felix Augur-Aliassime on clay in a brutal three-hour epic at the Italian Open as he signals a warning to his rivals heading into Roland Garros. De Minaur is proving he could be a threat at this year's French Open having made the round of 32 in Rome after defeating his Canadian tennis rival for the first time in his career.

The 25-year-old Australian has often struggled against the top 20 players in the world when it comes to clay court tennis. However, his imperious form in 2024 has carried over to clay having defeated Rafa Nadal earlier in the campaign. He has also added another top 20 player to the list after defeating Augur-Aliassime in a three-set battle.

After the match, de Minaur admitted he was thrilled with the victory as he finds form ahead of the second grand slam of the year. "I think Felix is a very good player on the clay," de Minaur said.

"He had a lot of confidence coming in, so I'm very happy how I stayed in the match at all stages. I was positive, no matter what came my way. I could have had a double break in the third to maybe secure the match. I didn't get it, ended up getting broken, and I managed to compose myself so I'm very happy with that."

Alex de Minaur ready for Roland Garros tournament

Following the match, de Minaur was asked on Tennis TV if he felt this year presented an opportunity for him to make a deep run in Paris. This comes as favourites such as Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are either battling injuries or form ahead of the grand slam. And de Minaur sent a warning to his rivals as he looks to make another statement in the round of 16 in Rome.

"I probably don't want to get ahead of myself. Especially on this surface, which in the past hasn't been too nice to me," de Minaur said. "I am trying to gain a lot of confidence. I am doing my best to put myself in a good position. In the past, Roland Garros, Paris, hasn't been too nice to me. I haven't played my best tennis.

"So there is no way I can have too high expectations. But, saying that, I feel like my clay court tennis is in the best form it has been in my career. So why not go out there and play some good tennis. So you never know, I could go on a bit of a run...no need to get too far ahead of yourself."

De Minaur has only won two matches against top 20 opponents in 13 attempts. However, his latest form has many feeling the Aussie could cause a surprise in Paris in just two weeks time. De Minaur also improves to 9-5 against top 20 players so far in 2024. He next faces another top 10 opponent in Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16. De Minaur could move above his opponent if he makes the semi-final.

Elsewhere, Andrey Rublev's seven straight match winning streak came to an end with having won the Madrid Open last week. Alexandre Muller stunned the Russian and admitted he was thrilled to have pulled off arguably one of the biggest wins of his career. "It's amazing. I didn't expect to win against Andrey. I knew I had my chance, but it is special to win against a Top 10 player. I'm very happy."