Alex de Minaur has secured his place in the fourth round of the Australian Open for the third consecutive year, and while he's showcasing a skillset on the court that recently helped catapult him into the ATP top 10, he's also eyeing a coveted return to Rod Laver Arena.

De Minaur triumphed in his first two matches on the main feature court, before facing Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli in the third round on John Cain Arena. Despite the change in venue, the 24-year-old emerged victorious and relished the more raucous atmosphere.

"The atmosphere over here is something else. I enjoyed every second of it, but it is a little bit different to RLA and it took a little bit to get used to," he said.

"Ultimately it doesn't really matter when I play; whether I play first match, whether I play last. Whether I play on RLA or Court 27, I'm still going to be the same. I'm still going to walk out there and enjoy it and give it 150%."

However, the Aussie star couldn't hide his desire to return to the prestigious Rod Laver Arena, saying: "I would love to play on RLA. Obviously that prime time slot is pretty special, and you've got to earn it. If the organizers decide to put me there, then I'll be happy to play on it."

Alex de Minaur serves against Flavio Cobolli during the third round of the 2024 Australian Open. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The challenge for de Minaur lies in the fact he shares the same side of the draw as world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who consistently claims the prime time slot on RLA. Both players will be scheduled to play their fourth-round matches on Sunday and, like Friday night, it could mean only one of them can grace the iconic court.

De Minaur isn't satisfied with becoming the first Aussie man in almost two decades to make the second week of his home Slam in three successive years.

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Now he's looking to carve out his own slice of history.

The top-ranked Aussie was in a different league to Cobolli, living up to his top-10 billing in a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory.

It made him the last Australian left in the singles draws as Storm Hunter later lost her third-round tie 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, to Czech star Barbora Krejcikova.

De Minaur was watched in the stands by former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt, his Davis Cup captain and idol who completed the round-of-16 hat-trick back in 2005.

That year, Hewitt charged all the way to the final -- and de Minaur's hot run has raised hopes he can follow suit.

When asked how he felt after matching Hewitt's exploits at Melbourne Park, de Minaur said he wanted more than a fourth round showing -- looking to improve on his previous best grand slam finish of a quarterfinal at the US Open in 2020.

"First of all, I'll try to get a little bit better and beat my personal best and get to the quarterfinals. That's the first step," he said.

"I've made a couple of fourth rounds in the past and maybe have gotten to that point and not played the type of match I wanted to.

"I'm hoping I can break that barrier and go one further."

The first Aussie man since Hewitt in 2006 to gate-crash the world's top 10 following a sizzling start to the year, de Minaur will play Russia's Andrey Rublev, who beat Sebastian Korda 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-4 in the late game.

That showdown is scheduled for Sunday night, when de Minaur will gun for his first quarterfinal berth at Melbourne Park.

After claiming three top-10 scalps -- including top-ranked Novak Djokovic at the season-opening United Cup -- facing world No.5 Rublev won't faze the local favourite.

Adding more power to his blistering pace, de Minaur has evolved from the player who fell to Djokovic and current world No.4 Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the past two years of the Open.

The Australian wrapped up the first set on Friday with an ace, taking just 39 minutes, while the second was a tougher contest despite the same scoreline, with de Minaur needing 57 minutes to earn a two-set lead.

Making his Open debut and playing in only his second Grand Slam, world No.100 Cobolli didn't play too badly -- but the 21-year-old was unable to match de Minaur when it mattered.

"I struggled a bit to find my rhythm throughout the match but I stayed in the moment, stayed composed, and it worked out in the end," the 24-year-old said on having to adjust to John Cain Arena.

"(The surface) felt a bit slower and I was over-hitting at stages, wasn't quite finding my timing, but we move on ... to the next round."

A fresh de Minaur -- who has only dropped one set in three matches -- said he will approach the fourth round with confidence.

"I'm the freshest I've felt at this stage of the tournament," the Sydneysider said.

"It's all going to come down to the level I bring in the following match.

"I've got to back myself up, I've got to believe, got to play positive tennis.

"I know the whole crowd is going to be behind me and I'm going to enjoy every second of it."