We just breed them tough. I would love to have a State of Origin in tennis.
Once every generation, a sport reveals that greatness is not merely individual but ecological — grown in a place, nurtured by proximity, and expressed collectively. At the 2024 US Open, four men from Sydney reached the third round simultaneously for the first time since 1997, a cohort shaped by the same courts, the same rivalries, and the same city. De Minaur, competing at diminished capacity after a seven-week injury absence, spoke not of personal triumph but of a shared inheritance. What Flushing Meadows is witnessing may be less a series of results than the flowering of a tennis culture.
- De Minaur arrived in New York barely fit, fell 5-2 in the opening set, then won seven straight games to remind the draw he is still its most dangerous Australian.
- Thompson delivered the upset of his career, dismantling world No. 7 Hurkacz after clawing back from the same 5-2 deficit, wearing Australian green and gold like a declaration.
- The surge nearly reached six or seven players, but Kokkinakis fell to Borges, Purcell retired injured, and Schoolkate lost a four-hour battle after holding two match points.
- Four Sydneysiders in the last 32 — a number not seen since Pat Rafter's 1997 title run — now face the tournament's most forbidding opponents: Djokovic, Sinner, and the weight of expectation.
- De Minaur's call for a State of Origin tennis competition was equal parts joke and manifesto, a recognition that this generation did not emerge in isolation but grew up hitting with one another.
Alex de Minaur walked onto the courts at Flushing Meadows still managing a hip injury that had kept him away since Wimbledon, estimating himself at 80 to 85 percent. It showed early — he fell 5-2 in the first set against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen. Then he won seven consecutive games, closed out the match 7-5, 6-1, 7-6, and turned his attention to something beyond his own scoreline.
Jordan Thompson was writing a parallel story. Facing world No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz — the man who ended Roger Federer's Wimbledon career — Thompson found himself in the same 5-2 hole in the opening set. He refused to yield, won the set in a tiebreak, and then took the next two frames with authority, completing a 7-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory that stood as the finest win of his 37-Grand Slam career. It arrived at a moment of particular sting: he had missed his seeding by a single ranking position.
Chris O'Connell added a third name to the list, defeating Mattia Bellucci in four sets and securing a third-round meeting with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Alexei Popyrin, the group's most in-form player, had already advanced. Four Australians in the last 32 — the first time since 1997, when a generation anchored by Pat Rafter reached the same stage.
All four were from Sydney. So were James Duckworth, Max Purcell, Rinky Hijikata, and Aleksandar Vukic, all ranked inside the top 100. De Minaur noted the pattern with undisguised pride, calling for a State of Origin tennis competition and crediting a shared upbringing — the same courts, the same training partners, the same city — for what the world was now watching.
The wave had nearly been larger. Kokkinakis, fresh from eliminating Tsitsipas, lost to Nuno Borges. Purcell retired injured against Tommy Paul. Schoolkate, a wildcard, held two match points in a four-hour battle before losing in a deciding tiebreak. The near-misses sharpened rather than diminished what remained: four players from one city, still standing, with Popyrin set to face defending champion Djokovic and O'Connell stepping into the arena against Sinner.
Alex de Minaur limped into the US Open third round on Tuesday still favoring his hip, seven weeks removed from the injury that had sidelined him since Wimbledon. He was operating at perhaps 80 or 85 percent capacity—his own estimate—and he knew it. Against Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen, he fell behind 5-2 in the opening set and looked vulnerable. Then something shifted. He won seven games in a row, seized control of the match, and closed it out 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). Afterward, he spoke not of his own performance but of something larger: a cohort of players, all from Sydney, all rising together.
Jordan Thompson had his own statement to make. The world No. 7, Hubert Hurkacz—the man who had ended Roger Federer's Wimbledon career—came out swinging and built a 5-2 lead in the first set. Thompson, dressed in Australian green and gold, refused to fold. He clawed back, won the set, and then dismantled Hurkacz across the next two frames, finishing 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 7-5. It was the biggest victory of Thompson's 37-Grand Slam career, and it came at precisely the moment he needed it most, after missing a seeding for the first time by a single ranking position.
Chris O'Connell moved through as well, defeating Italian Mattia Bellucci 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The win guaranteed him a payday of at least $315,000 Australian dollars and a third-round date with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Alexei Popyrin, seeded 28th and playing with genuine form, had already advanced. Four Australian men in the last 32 at Flushing Meadows. It was the first time this had happened since 1997, when Scott Draper, Mark Woodforde, Mark Philippoussis, and Pat Rafter—who would go on to win the tournament—all reached the third round together.
De Minaur, standing in the aftermath of his own comeback, couldn't resist the observation. All four of them were Sydneysiders. So were James Duckworth, Max Purcell, Rinky Hijikata, and Aleksandar Vukic, all ranked in the top 100. "We just breed them tough," de Minaur said. "I've been saying it for a long time, but I would love to have a State of Origin in tennis. I think we would have a pretty strong team. All the Sydneysiders, a lot of us, we've grown up together, hitting with each other, and it's great to see us all doing well." It was part boast, part genuine affection for the ecosystem that had shaped them all.
The Australian surge had nearly been even more dramatic. At one point, it looked as though six or even seven players might crack the last 32. But Thanasi Kokkinakis, who had just eliminated Stefanos Tsitsipas two days earlier, fell to Portuguese baseliner Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. Max Purcell retired from his match against American 14th seed Tommy Paul while trailing 7-5, 6-0, 1-0, unable to continue with a leg injury. Tristan Schoolkate, a wildcard who had fought his way to a deciding match tiebreaker against Czech prospect Jakub Mensik after four hours and fourteen minutes, couldn't convert two match points and lost 6-7 (4-7), 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (10-3).
Still, four was a remarkable number. De Minaur, who had questioned whether he would even be able to compete when he arrived in New York, was taking each day as a bonus. Thompson had a chance to match his 2020 run to the fourth round and potentially meet de Minaur later in the tournament. O'Connell would face Sinner next. And Popyrin, the in-form player of the group, would square off against defending champion Novak Djokovic on Friday night—Saturday morning Australian time. The Australian tennis moment, built on the foundation of one city and a generation of players who had grown up hitting with one another, was still unfolding.
Notable Quotes
Expectations were very low going in. I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to be here and compete so I'm taking every day as a bonus.— Alex de Minaur
All the Sydneysiders, a lot of us, we've grown up together, hitting with each other, and it's great to see us all doing well.— Alex de Minaur
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
De Minaur was only 80 to 85 percent fit and hadn't played in seven weeks. How does someone come back from that and beat a qualifier in straight sets?
He was down 5-2 in the first set. He could have folded. Instead he won seven games in a row and took control. That's not about fitness—that's about refusing to accept the outcome in front of you.
The State of Origin comment—was that just showboating, or does it point to something real about Sydney tennis?
It's both. Yes, there's pride in it. But he's also naming something genuine: these players grew up together, hit with each other, pushed each other. That shared foundation matters. It's not random that four of them are here at the same time.
Thompson beat Hurkacz, who is ranked seventh in the world. That's a massive scalp. Why does that matter more than the others?
Because Thompson had just missed a seeding by one ranking spot. He needed a statement. Hurkacz had beaten Federer at Wimbledon. This wasn't a lucky win—Thompson played nearly flawless tennis across three sets.
The narrative mentions that six or seven Australians might have made it. What happened to the others?
Kokkinakis lost to Borges after beating Tsitsipas. Purcell got injured and had to retire. Schoolkate fought for over four hours but couldn't close it out in a tiebreaker. Sometimes the moment doesn't hold.
What's next for these four?
Popyrin faces Djokovic, the defending champion. O'Connell meets Sinner, the world No. 1. Thompson plays Arnaldi. De Minaur keeps building. Any of them could go deep.