- Lost to world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in quarterfinals
Aussie tennis star Alex de Minaur has found a high-profile partner to drown his sorrows with after his deflating exit in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
It has been 50 years since Mark Edmondson became the last Aussie to win the home Grand Slam and that drought extended this year when de Minaur crashed out in straight sets to finalist Carlos Alcaraz.
But as the Spaniard prepares to take on 10-time Aussie Open winner Novak Djokovic in the final at Melbourne Park tonight, de Minaur has found a drinking partner – Taiwan’s king of pop music Jay Chou.
The pop superstar posted images to his Instagram with de Minaur with the caption ‘No tennis today – let’s talk about our partners’.
The images included the Aussie tennis star, Chou and his wife Hannah Quinlivan – along with several empty wine glasses at a fancy Melbourne venue.
Chou is in Australia as part of a high-profile visit that has doubled as a soft-power boost for local tourism.
Australian tennis star and Taiwan pop idol Jay Chou share some drinks in Melbourne
The drinking session included many glasses of win, with de Minaur pictured with Chou’s wife Hannah Quinlivan
Chou also took part in the 1 Point Slam competition at the Australian Open this year on his visit down under
De Minaur’s Australian Open run ended in the quarterfinals with a straight sets loss to Carlos Alcaraz
Chou timed his trip to coincide with the Australian Open, where he was a VIP guest and quickly became one of the tournament’s most talked-about off-court attractions.
His appearance at Melbourne Park sparked viral moments on Chinese social media, including fan interactions and stadium singalongs when his hit Nunchuks was played.
The global music icon also took part in a fan-focused ‘One Point Slam’ challenge, drawing huge crowds and cameras wherever he went.
Clips of Chou enjoying the Open were widely shared on platforms like Weibo and Douyin, reaching millions within hours.
It comes after de Minaur produced another strong Australian Open run this year but was left deflated after a straight-sets quarterfinal loss to Carlos Alcaraz on Rod Laver Arena.
The Australian carried huge momentum into the match after blitzing Alexander Bublik, with home fans sensing a genuine breakthrough.
That belief faded as Carlos Alcaraz proved too strong again, extending his dominance over de Minaur to six consecutive wins and silencing the crowd.
De Minaur cut a dejected figure afterward, admitting he keeps running into the sport’s elite, including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, at his home Grand Slam.
He said the frustration comes from making improvements without always seeing them reflected on the scoreboard.
Despite the disappointment, de Minaur said he was determined to keep pushing, describing his Australian Open title dream as unfinished business.
‘As tough as it is when you get results like this, you get back up, you get back on the horse, and that’s it,’ he said.
