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The Australian, seeded No.5 at the event, let out a deafening roar after claiming his second match point, perhaps a measure of the frustration he has felt so far this season with a succession of disappointing defeats across all surfaces on the ATP Tour.

"A little bit of frustration," De Minaur said when asked about his reaction to the win.

"I've had a couple of battles that recently did not go my way, and I'm glad that I was able to kind of dig deep, find myself, and come through a tough battle, which will give me a lot of confidence moving forward.

De Minaur admitted he didn't feel comfortable during a first set in which he was second best, but his energy levels soared in the second set to pull him level with a Frenchman he has now beaten on nine straight occasions.

"I brought all the energy, everything I had, I threw the kitchen sink, " De Minaur continued.

"I'm glad I was able to sneak a couple of big points in the tiebreak and ultimately serve well when I needed it."

De Minaur will join fellow Australian RInky Hijikata in the next round after he upset Luciano Darderi, the No.19 seed, with a straight sets win, claiming a 6-4 6-2 victory over the Italian to level up their head-to-head battle at 2-2.

It was Hijikata's second win over Darderi in 2026 after he knocked him out of the Indian Wells Open earlier this year, and added to an impressive tournament so far after he beat French veteran Gael Monfils in his previous match.