De Minaur dines out on home cooking as tricky year winds down

Alex de Minaur has beaten Maks Kasnikowski in the first rubber of Australia's Davis Cup tie against Poland.

The world number nine took down his 231st-ranked opponent 6-3, 6-0 in under an hour at Brisbane's Pat Rafter Arena.

James Duckworth takes on Polish number one Kamil Majchrzak in the second singles rubber of the tie.

Some home cooking has proved just what the doctor ordered for Alex de Minaur as a rough year approaches its end.

De Minaur got Australia off to a perfect start in its Davis Cup tie against Poland, with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Maks Kasnikowski, looking refreshed from a surprisingly lengthy rest period after the US Open.

De Minaur's 231st-ranked opponent was right in the fight in a 35-minute opening set, but the temperature was dialled up as he flew to a second-set bagel in just 20 minutes.

On multiple occasions throughout the dominant performance, de Minaur took time out of his celebrations to fire up the packed Pat Rafter Arena crowd.

"It felt amazing. I missed Brisbane, it's been a while, I definitely missed playing on this court. It was a great atmosphere," he said.

"It's a dream come true. As a kid this was all I ever wanted. To step out on this court, get those goosebumps and know every single one of you guys is behind me.

While he remains an admirable ninth in the ATP world rankings, 2026 has by almost every measure been one of de Minaur's toughest in recent memory, albeit with a wedding to British player Katie Boulter mixed in.

He only reached the quarters of one major, losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, before falling to players ranked lower than him in Paris, London and New York.

His most recent disappointment against 70th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open marked just his second loss in the second round of a grand slam since 2023.

It came in a major tournament without world number one Jannik Sinner and with seven-time slam winner Carlos Alcaraz returning from a wrist injury.

Not for the first time, de Minaur cut a dejected figure as he lamented an early exit after consistently being a presence in the last eight in the past few years.