Alex de Minaur: the quiet Australian star roaring into the top 10 | Courtney Walsh

Alex de Minaur has surged into the US Open final 16 and is now on the verge of being Australia's first top 10-ranked male player in 20 years

Sit close enough to a tennis court when Alex de Minaur is at full velocity and the sound of shrieking, audible and ever-present during a point, tells the story of the busiest feet in tennis.

The shoes of the Australian, who has played with rare verve at the US Open over the past week, squeak and squeal as he scampers to retrieve shots that would pass most others by. Like the roaring and purring of a Formula 1 car racing around a track, the noise made by the No 13 seed's dancing feet alters depending on how fast and furiously a rally is unfolding.