Alex de Minaur might be currently residing in southwest London with fiancée Katie Boutler, and he is feeling equally at home at the All-England Club.
The world No.6 produced another clinical display on Thursday, recording a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over French veteran Adrian Mannarino to bound into the third round.
De Minaur is building on a strong grasscourt swing, winning seven of his nine matches on the surface this season. This includes reaching the s-Hertogenbosch final, where he defeated Mannarino en route.
Although De Minaur now holds a 6-1 record against the Frenchman, he still views him as a difficult opponent.
“I know how dangerous Adrian is. We’ve played each other many times and I think we both hate playing each other. We both make each other’s lives very difficult,” he said. “I’m going to have to get some treatment on my lower back from bending down so much.”
It was a typical De Minaur performance, relentless on his first serve, coupled with a damaging return game.
De Minaur fired 21 winners, including seven aces, in his 14th Wimbledon victory, almost hitting more aces than Mannarino did total winners (8).
After cruising past Argentine Roman Andres Burruchaga in the first round, De Minaur picked up where he left off on Thursday on No.3 Court. The Australian won 13 of 14 points on his first serve in the opening set, while his opponent committed four double faults.
It would not get easier for Mannarino as De Minaur kicked into overdrive in the second set. While De Minaur’s clutch serving continued to cause problems, his movement around the court began to slowly unwind the Frenchman’s game.
This set the tone for the remainder of the match as the New South Welshman advanced to the last 32 at SW19 for the fifth time in his career.
“I love playing on this court. I think I play some great matches. There’s a great atmosphere here, I just love it,” De Minaur said.
“I’m hoping that I can stay here for a long time.”
He will now face American Zachary Svajda.
De Minaur joins Daria Kasatkina in the third round after she defeated Janice Tjen on Wednesday. Maya Joint, Kimberly Birrell and James Duckworth will seek to increase that number in their second-round matches later on Day 4.
For a set at least, Maya Joint maintained the momentum of her momentous win over Serena Williams when she followed De Minaur onto the No.3 court.
But faced with a fast-improving Alexandra Eala, who was supported by a vociferous Filipino crowd, the Australian’s aggressive approach ultimately ended with a three-set loss.
“I'm not entirely sure what happened,” Joint admitted following Eala’s 6-2 6-0 victory, in which the Australian recorded 37 winners alongside 41 costly errors.
“I could have done a better job of trying to let go of that first match and then focusing more on the second. Alex lifted her game in the second [set] and I kind of hesitated, backed off a little, and then gave her the chance.”
Still, the 20-year-old could recognise the positives in a headline-grabbing period – and Joint vowed to learn from another three-set contest against the talented Eala, whom she defeated in an epic final at Eastbourne last year.
"This is the furthest I've ever gotten here [at Wimbledon] and I had a pretty amazing Centre Court experience, playing one of the greats,” said Joint. “There was a lot of attention, and I'm proud of the way I handled it.”
While No.17 seed Sorana Cirstea proved too tough for fellow Australian Kimberly Birrell, there were also positives for James Duckworth to take from his four-set exit to Flavio Cobolli.
The 34-year-old tested Cobolli – the recent Roland Garros finalist and a quarterfinalist at the All England Club last year – for just under three hours, before the 24-year-old Italian emerged with a 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1 win.
Aussies in action: Wimbledon
RESULTS – Day 4
Men’s singles, second round
[5] Alex de Minaur (AUS) d Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3 6-2 6-2
[9] Flavio Cobolli (ITA) d James Duckworth (AUS) 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1
Women’s singles, second round
[29] Alexandra Eala (PHI) d Maya Joint (AUS) 3-6 6-2 6-0
[17] Sorana Cirstea (ROU) d Kimberly Birrell (AUS) 6-3 6-4
COMING UP – Day 5
Women’s singles, second round
Daria Kasatkina (AUS) v [14] Naomi Osaka (JPN)
COMING UP – Day 4
[5] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Zachary Svajda (USA)
You can watch Wimbledon on the channels of the Nine Network and Stan Sport.