From 2020 until now, over six years and seven times reaching the Grand Slam quarterfinals, Deminal has faced some hardships.

As is widely recognized, moving from the Grand Slam quarterfinals to the semifinals takes only one win. Yet, that win remains a barrier for certain players. For instance, Russian athlete Rublev has made it to the Grand Slam quarterfinals ten times since his debut there in 2017 at the US Open but has never surpassed that threshold. This week, another player was defeated in the Australian Open quarterfinals, marking his seventh time stopping at the Grand Slam quarterfinal stage. So, who is this player? And at which Grand Slam events did he fall short? Let this article take you through the details.

This player is Australian Deminal, who earned his first Grand Slam main draw win in 2017 at the US Open. That same year, he also reached his first Challenger final. Since then, he has steadily improved each year. In 2020, after defeating Slovakia’s Martin in the first round of the US Open, Deminal won three consecutive matches against France’s Gasquet, Russia’s Khachanov, and Canada’s Pospisil, reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

However, in the quarterfinals, facing Austrian player Thiem—who had already reached three Grand Slam finals—Deminal was thoroughly outplayed, winning only seven games across three sets. After this defeat, Deminal returned home, likely unaware that this was just the beginning of his repeated stops at the Grand Slam quarterfinals.

In the following three years, although Deminal claimed four tour titles and reached a Masters final, he did not make it back to a Grand Slam quarterfinal. At the end of May 2024, Deminal made a comeback at Roland Garros, defeating American Mickelson, Spaniard Munar, German Struff, and former US Open champion Russian Medvedev, marking his second Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance. Despite losing to Germany’s Zverev in the quarters, he pushed his opponent to a tiebreak, showing clear progress.

In early July, fresh off winning his second grass-court tour title, Deminal advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon with strong performances. However, injury halted his progress, forcing him to withdraw from the quarterfinal match. This was his first withdrawal after reaching a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

At the end of August, Deminal once again reached the quarterfinals at the US Open. But in a match against British newcomer Draper, who was making his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Deminal lost in straight sets. Over five years, he reached the Grand Slam quarterfinals four times but was defeated each time. More embarrassingly, he failed to win a single set in any of those quarterfinal appearances.

At the 2025 Australian Open, playing in front of his home crowd, Deminal reached the quarterfinals again. This achievement gave him the distinction of reaching the quarterfinals in all four Grand Slam tournaments. However, against Italian player Sinner, Deminal was swept aside, winning only six games throughout the match—the fewest he has ever won in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Following that, Deminal reached the Grand Slam quarterfinals twice more—in the 2025 US Open and the 2026 Australian Open—but lost both times. A small consolation came at the 2025 US Open, where he finally won his first set in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, though the overall victory remained out of reach.

Nevertheless, reaching the Grand Slam quarterfinals seven times is an impressive feat. It is believed that in future tournaments, Deminal will be able to break through this barrier. That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)