Alex The Kid Just Had The Biggest Win Of His Short Career At The Australian Open

It's been brewing for a while now, but 17-year-old Aussie Alex De Minaur has erupted onto the major tennis scene with a gutsy first round win at the Australian Open on Monday.

In his debut Slam, the junior Wimbledon finalist and world No.301 delighted the fans that packed out Show Court 3 for nearly four hours with an epic come-from-behind, five-set victory over Austrian Gerald Melzer, some nine years and 214 rankings places the more experienced player.

"Words can't describe how I'm feeling right now. Definitely the happiest moment of my life," he said afterwards.

De Minaur seemed to struggle early to keep up with the power coming from the racquet of Melzer, losing a tight opening set, but he settled into a grinding rhythm which was enough to snare him the second.

However, this only seemed to stir the Austrian into action as he silenced the crowd by taking the third set and racing out to a 5-2 lead in the fourth.

Staring down match point, De Minaur seemed to channel his inner Lleyton Hewitt – a mentor and huge advocate of the young Aussie – by snuffing out the challenge and then rising from the ashes to not only hold serve, but come back to force the set into a tiebreaker, which he took comfortably.

In a situation he had never before found himself in – the first five-set match of his fledgling career – De Minaur brushed off the question of calling a trainer with disdain and casually iced his thighs as he sat at the change of ends. While Melzer took the next game, the young Aussie served out the match with aplomb, taking in the adulation of the fans and even accepting requests to take selfies with their phones. At that moment, he appeared to have broken Melzer's spirit when in the blink of an eye – dancing around the back of a court like a boxer between points – he was out to a 4-0 40-0 lead, but there was to be one last twist in the tale. De Minaur was beset by cramp and as he tried to serve it was clear he just couldn't get any pop. Two double faults in a row and – despite his hefty lead – he wasn't quite home yet. Fortunately, he rolled in a serve in at 40-30 and managed to hold for 5-0.

"I really just wanted to get it done," he said. "My legs were starting to really feel it. I had to take a deep breath and, you know, try to make sure to focus on my serve, then go from there.

"I never felt such an unbelievable experience with a crowd. I'm pretty sure they got me through that match."

For Hewitt, De Minaur also had a message: "It's unbelievable to have him in my corner. Unbelievable support. He's been really helping me out a lot."

It's been a monumental January for De Minaur thus far. Playing in his maiden ATP event in Brisbane, receiving a wildcard entry into the Australian Open and now notching up his first Grand Slam win. And it's not over yet. Looking ahead, he now faces big-serving American Sam Querrey – the man who bundled Novak Djokovic out of Wimbledon last year – and should he be successful in that quest, a potential showdown with the world No.1, Sir Andy Murray, awaits.

This may be the first Australian Open without Hewitt in nearly two decades, but in Alex De Minaur, we might just have found a young contender for his mantle.