Ash Barty and Aussie title hope Alex de Minaur get caught up in French Open drama

An Australian tennis legend has called out international broadcaster Tennis Channel after Alex de Minaur stormed into the quarter-finals of the French Open earlier in the week.

The Sydneysider with the big heart and electric speed came from a set down on Monday to defeat the former US Open champ Medvedev 4-6 6-2 6-1 6-3 to make it to just his second quarter-final in a grand slam.

‘Demon’ also became the first Aussie male player to make the last-eight at the French since his idol, mentor and Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.

The Tennis Channel showed a graphic during his on court interview saying De Minaur was first Australian into the quarters since Hewitt, failing to note that’s just in men’s tennis – completely overlooking female greats from Australia.

Ash Barty (pictured) won the French Open in 2019, while Sam Stosur made the finals on several occasions over the years

And that’s where former Aussie doubles champion Renee Stubbs stepped in to let the tennis broadcaster know it made a mistake.

‘HUGE congrats to @alexdeminaur so happy for you mate,’ Stubbs wrote on X.

‘BUT @TennisChannel Demon is the first Aussie MALE since Hewitt. If u recall

@bambamsam30 did this a whole lot of times after 2004. Like finals, semis etc. So can we please get those graphics right. Thanks.

‘Oh and @ashbarty won the whole thing!’

Meanwhile, the stars may be aligning for De Minaur in Paris with everything falling into place to hand the Australian potentially a dream opportunity at the French Open.

An exhausting early-hours, eve-of-match finish for his quarter-final opponent Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, then the bombshell of champion Novak Djokovic’s injury withdrawal, has opened up a tantalising path for de Minaur not just to a maiden semi-final, but even to the final itself.

And with the great Djokovic, a potentially unassailable semi-final hurdle, out of the picture, de Minaur knows his last-four opponent would be Casper Ruud, a player he’s beaten twice and never lost to, should he defeat Zverev in a match that’s now been promoted to Wednesday’s prime time night spot on Court Philippe Chatrier. 

Already assured of returning to an equal-career-high No.9 in the world, de Minaur will climb to at least eighth in the rankings with a victory over Zverev and could finish the French Open as high as No.6 if he wins the tournament.