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The Australian produced a number of dazzling winners in his match-up with the world number-12, but 57 percent first serve success rate proved telling as De Minaur struggled to convert his second serves. 

Elsewhere, Carlos Alcaraz delivered an up-and-down fourth-round performance against Karen Khachanov, but his peaks proved enough to secure a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory. 

Alcaraz let slip a break lead in both the second and third sets, including four straight games from 6-3, 3-2 up, but recovered in time to maintain his perfect record against Khachanov.

“It feels amazing to get the win at the end against a really big and really tough guy like Khachanov,” Alcaraz said. “Physically I struggled a bit. Not any pain on any part of the body, but I was just tired. The match was really tough. I had to run a lot, so I’m just really proud of the way I fought for every ball.

“At a break up in the second set, from then to the end of the second set, I probably lost focus a little bit. He started to play great, but I was really happy to forget it and come into the third set as good as I could. I just fought, and I’m really happy about that.”

With his two-hour, 29-minute win, Alcaraz advanced to the quarter-finals in Rome for the first time, and he has now reached that stage at all nine Masters 1000 events. 

The 22 year-old is the first Spaniard to make the last eight in Rome since record 10-time champion Rafael Nadal in 2021. Jaume Munar could make it two Spaniards in the 2025 quarter-finals by defeating Casper Ruud.

Now 26-5 for 2025, including a 12-1 record on clay, Alcaraz will take on fifth seed Jack Draper in the semi-finals after the in-form Briton rallied past Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Alcaraz leads 3-2 in the pair’s head-to-head, but Draper won their most recent meeting in March en route to the title in Indian Wells.

“Jack is playing great,” said Alcaraz of Draper, who will rise to a career-high number-four in the ATP rankings next Tuesday should he win the pair’s quarter-final. “The way he’s playing is really high. I’ve been watching his matches. The way he plays is huge, and I have to be ready for that. I think it’s going to be a great battle.”

As he had in his third-round win against Laslo Djere, Alcaraz struggled to find his rhythm in the opening few games of the fourth-round clash against Khachanov. He dropped serve in the opening game of the match as his opponent stayed solid from the baseline and behind his powerful serve.

Yet after that low-key start, Alcaraz appeared to flick a switch. He reeled off five straight games featuring some typically classy shotmaking that energised the crowd on Campo Centrale, and the Spaniard seemed to be riding that wave to victory when he pulled off three sublime clean winners to break for 3-2 in the second set.

Khachanov did not let himself be shaken by the prospect of another straight-sets defeat. The 23rd seed continued to keep his errors to a minimum, which allowed him to capitalise on a lapse in Alcaraz’s level, reel off four straight games and force a deciding set.

Alcaraz soon forged a 4-1 lead in the third, set but again stuttered as Khachanov refused to lay down in his bid for his maiden Top 3 win on clay. Alcaraz rediscovered his touch in time to escape with the win, however, decisively breaking Khachanov’s serve in the 12th game to seal victory.

Just how close the margins were in the fourth-round clash was reflected in the fact that the defeated Khachanov won more points (98 to 95) than his opponent overall. Alcaraz produced 29 unforced errors to Khachanov’s 17, but also out-hit the 23rd seed by 41 winners to 17.