By Martyn Herman
LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - Whisper it quietly, but could this be the moment for Alex de Minaur to break through his Grand Slam glass ceiling?
The Australian fifth seed has reached seven quarter-finals at the majors but never gone any further, with only Russia's Andrey Rublev failing more often at that stage, with 10.
On Thursday though, he dispatched tricky Frenchman Adrian Mannarino with ease to reach the Wimbledon third round and the draw offers him hope of making his deepest run
yet.
"I'm super stoked, super grateful to be playing some great tennis here in London," the 27-year-old said after his 6-3 6-2 6-2 win on Court Three where he received almost home levels of support thanks to his fiancee being British player Katie Boulter.
De Minaur, one of the best movers in the sport and whose all-court game is a good fit for grass, is yet to drop a set in his opening two rounds.
Left-hander Mannarino's unusual game style means his flat strokes propel the ball low over the net, skidding off the lush turf. De Minaur dealt with it superbly though to take his record over Mannarino to 6-1.
"We have played each other many times and we both hate playing each other," De Minaur said. "There wasn't much net clearance today, not much topspin out there today.
"I'll probably need some treatment on my lower back! I love playing on this court, it's a great atmosphere and I just hope I can stay for a long time."
De Minaur, a quarter-finalist in 2024, when he gave Novak Djokovic a walkover because of a hip injury, will face either Zachary Svajda or Kamil Majchrzak in his next outing.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Alison Williams)
