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.
He faces unseeded American Zachary Svajda next and his projected quarter-final opponent Ben Shelton is already out, but De Minaur has been around long enough to know that it is foolhardy to look too far ahead.
"I'm in the third round, right? I want to go deep, of course," De Minaur 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.
"As much as I would love to just jump a couple of steps, there's lots of tough moments I've got to get through. Seeds lose. Upsets happen. This sport is unpredictable."
COLLECTOR OF CLASSIC WATCHES
The 27-year-old De Minaur is something of a rarity in these days of powerful ground strokes and vicious top spin.
He relies more on his electric footwork and variety and is more than comfortable around the net as he showed in dismantling the game of wily left-hander Mannarino, another player who does not fit the mould of the modern-day player.
"We have played each other many times and we both hate playing each other," De Minaur, who has not dropped a set in his opening two matches, said. "There wasn't much net clearance today, not much top spin out there today.
"The ball was always below the level of the net. I'll probably need some treatment on my lower back!"
De Minaur, a quarter-finalist in 2024 when he gave Novak Djokovic a walkover because of a hip injury, is known for his love of collecting classic watches and cars — appropriate really for a player whose game retains some old-school elements.
"I feel like in a world where everything is going digital and modern, it is quite cool and unique to have something classical," De Minaur, who sported a Gerald Charles watch on Thursday, said. "I don't normally go to what everyone else likes. I like my own passions."
His deepest run at a Grand Slam might even warrant adding another timepiece to his collection, but for now all his thoughts are on reaching the second week.
"I'm trying to stay focused, try to win matches, I've got bills to pay, you know. I can't afford to think about my next toy," he said.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Alison Williams)
