Following his recent exit from the Australian Open, Alex de Minaur is acutely aware of the steps he must take to bridge the gap with the world’s top players and pursue his first grand slam victory.

De Minaur faced a harsh reality check during his quarter-final match against world number one, Carlos Alcaraz. What began as a promising, energetic start quickly shifted to a familiar disappointment.

The 26-year-old initially sparked hopes among local supporters with his competitive play, but ultimately succumbed to a 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 defeat at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday night.

“You just have to keep moving forward. It’s the only way,” de Minaur expressed.

“No matter how tough it gets when faced with results like this, you must get back up, get back on the horse, and keep going,” he added.

De Minaur has lost his first seven grand slam quarter-final appearances and is the third man in the open era to do so, after Andrey Rublev and Tommy Robredo.

He first reached the last eight at Melbourne Park a year ago, when he was beaten by Jannik Sinner, who was then on the march to a second straight AO crown.

In the aftermath, de Minaur went on to reach a career-high ranking of world number six in the world and held his top-10 billing for most of last year.

But, frustratingly, he remains a level below Alcaraz and Sinner, nursing a combined 0-19 head-to-head record against the two big guns.

‘It doesn’t feel amazing’

Tuesday’s defeat was his sixth in as many meetings with Alcaraz.

“It doesn’t feel amazing, I’ll tell you that,” de Minaur said.

“You try do the right things, you try keep on improving.

“But when the results don’t come or the scoreline doesn’t reflect those improvements, then of course you feel quite deflated.”

Alex de Minaur (left) said he would try to improve following his loss to Carlos Alcaraz (right). Source: AP / Dita Alangkara

There is no encouragement to be had from the records of Rublev and Robredo. The latter’s seventh quarter-final in 2013 was also his last, with the Spaniard now retired.

Rublev, 28, is still playing and ranked world number 14, but the Russian has now reached ten quarter-finals without progressing, most recently at the Australian Open two years ago.

De Minaur wasn’t without his moments against Alcaraz.

He fought back from 3-0 down in the first set to level the score and at one point hit an outrageous backhand winner in mid-air.

“There was some good parts out there, but overall, I’m playing out of my comfort zone and at times out of my skin,” de Minaur said.

“Of course, for me to take that next step, I’ve got to be comfortable in playing that sort of way for the whole match.

“That’s what it takes, you know, to take it to the next level, especially against these types of guys.”

Alcaraz, who is still alive in his quest to complete a career grand slam this tournament, said de Minaur presents a difficult challenge.

But the six-time major winner felt he had the upper hand against the Australian in their latest showdown.

“When he’s playing against the best or the top player, he’s trying to be more aggressive, which sometimes he’s just out of his comfort zone,” Alcaraz said.

“That (why) sometimes we’re seeing him miss quite often some quite easy balls.

“I notice that, and we know how to approach the match, because we are one step forward in that case.”

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