Tennis: De Minaur in Sydney International semis

Sydney, Jan 10: Australia's Alex De Minaur knocked out fellow countryman Jordan Thompson 7-6(4) 6-3 on Thursday in an all-Australian quarter-final to advance to the final four at the Sydney International tennis meet.

Thompson led 4-1 in the first set tie-breaker but the Australian No.1 stormed back into the game to take the lead, reports Efe news.

Thompson, 24, had broken his teammate's serve early in the second set, but it was not enough to hold back the 19-year-old De Minaur.

"It's always really tough to play my mate, a guy that I've grown up with and seen as a big brother to me," De Minaur said after the match.

"There was a lot of outside factors coming into this match - nerves, playing another Australian? It's all tough. But I'm very happy that I was able to get the win," he added.

De Minaur will now play against either John Millman -- another Australian -- or fourth seed Gilles Simon, who will play later on Thursday.