Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur has made a flawless start to his Australian Open campaign, securing a straight-sets victory on Tuesday night against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

The 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 win on Rod Laver Arena marks the first step in de Minaur's quest to break his Grand Slam โ€˜quarterfinal curse'.ย 

The 25-year-old was knocked out in the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open last year but has yet to break through at the Australian Open. His best result on home soil has been three consecutive fourth-round appearances.

โ€œThe body is exactly where I want it to be,โ€ de Minaur said, speaking to press after the win.

โ€œI've put in countless hours over the better part of six months to get to this point of feeling good and feeling comfortable, sliding from one side to the other and not really thinking about my hip.โ€

De Minaur has battled an ongoing hip injury that saw him pull out of last year's Olympic games and withdraw from his quarterfinal appearance against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

With his body back in peak form, the No. 8 seed is unphased by the pressure of being Australia's top title contender at Melbourne Park this year.

โ€œThere is always going to be outside noise, and that's always going to be in the background, but I go in every day with a mindset of trying to bring the best out of myself,โ€ de Minaur said.

โ€œWhen it comes to playing in Australia, my sole focus is to give myself the best chance when I walk on the court.โ€

De Minaur advances to the second round alongside ten other Australian players, including Kokkinakis, Duckworth, McCabe, Schoolkate, Thompson, and Vukic.

He will take to the court again on Thursday against American player Tristan Boyer.