Alex de Minaur will need to block out hometown pressure if he's to ...

On Sunday night, Alex de Minaur will either sail into uncharted waters or experience a feeling of déjà vu.

He is on the cusp of making the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career, an achievement that would match his best showing at a major.

His clash with world number five Andrey Rublev on Rod Laver Arena marks the third consecutive year he has reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park, a stage of the tournament that has been a stumbling block for the young Australian.

But it won't only be his opponent on the other side of the net de Minaur needs to conquer if he is to reach the quarterfinals.

He is the last Australian standing in the singles draws, contributing to the public expectation that has been growing following his outstanding form in the lead-up to the season-opening major.

De Minaur's first win over Novak Djokovic at the United Cup earlier this month and his rise to a career-high number 10 on the world rankings has allowed Australian tennis fans to dare to dream.

Add the fact de Minaur will be playing in front of a parochial centre-court crowd, with a massive national audience also tuning in on prime-time TV, and it's easy to see why anticipation is mounting.

De Minaur has dropped one set on his way to the fourth round.(Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)

Hometown support can be a double-edged sword as the pressure of performing while in the national spotlight has cruelled the chances of many an Australian player.

This is illustrated by the fact no local has claimed the Australian Open men's title since 1976, despite major winners such as Lleyton Hewitt, Pat Rafter and Pat Cash having tried valiantly to etch their name on the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

Cash, speaking in the recent documentary film Australia's Open, admits he found the pressure that came with playing in Melbourne "crippling".

"It's not easy to win your home tournament," said Cash, who was runner-up in 1987 and 1988.

"The expectations you have on yourself and the attention can get overwhelming. There's absolutely no doubt about it and often you don't perform at your best.

"I needed psychological help to actually survive in Australia and play the Australian Open."

At least publicly, de Minaur is taking it all in his stride.

"Probably the only thing that has changed is now that I am at the ranking that I am, there's a little bit more hype around me," de Minaur told the media at Melbourne Park earlier this week.

"But in saying that, I haven't changed the slightest. For me, I still enjoy every moment I'm here. It's a blessing starting the year in Australia, playing in front of my home fans.

"I don't really associate playing in Australia as nerve-racking or more pressure. In fact, I associate it as just excitement.

"I walk out and I've got an unbelievable crowd behind me, so I'm very fortunate for that."

On court, Rublev poses as de Minaur's greatest test yet this tournament and he is an old hand when it comes to reaching the second week of a major.

On nine occasions he has made the quarterfinals, including the Australian and US Opens, and Wimbledon last year.

Admittedly, his form so far in Melbourne has been patchy.

He trailed 5-2 in the 10-point tiebreaker in the fifth set of his first-round match against Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, facing what would have been his earliest exit at the Australian Open since 2019.

But Rublev rebounded to win eight of the next nine points to seal victory, while his second and third-round matches were wrapped up in straight sets.

The potency of Andrey Rublev's forehand has been noted by de Minaur.(Getty Images: Darrian Traynor)

Both de Minaur and Rublev enjoyed excellent 2023 seasons in which they faced off twice on indoor hardcourts.

Rublev triumphed when they played each other in the quarterfinals at the Paris Masters, but de Minaur toppled the Russian in the opening round in Rotterdam earlier in the year.

Overall, de Minaur leads their career head-to-head meetings 3-2 and he is more than aware of the weapons Rublev possesses on court.

"He's got some immense firepower and his forehand is deadly," de Minaur said of Rublev.

"It's basically do your best to not allow him to hit forehands, especially from the middle of the court.

"That will probably be the game plan against him."

Nullifying Rublev's forehand will be one thing, but blocking out the external pressure that comes with being the lone Australian left may turn out to be de Minaur's biggest challenge.