An unexpected twist to the Australian Open ranks has fallen in favour of Alex de Minaur as he prepares to enter his home grand slam as a top-eight seed.

De Minaur jumped up one spot in the rankings following the surprise round one defeat of Andrey Rublev at the Hong Kong Open.

The Russian was bundled out 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 by Fabian Marozsan on Thursday and will drop to ninth on the ATP rankings next week.

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The slight shift in the rankings means de Minaur will be protected from facing others in the top-eight until at least the quarter final – a stage he has yet to reach in the slam.

The threat of many of the game’s best will still be present in the early rounds for de Minaur, with the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Paul all eligible to be drawn.

Rublev could also be named along his path to the Australian title – with the pair’s last meeting at the event seeing de Minaur knocked out in the fourth round.

But the understanding that he will not meet any player ranked above him will provide a much needed boost for the 25-year-old.

If he is to reach the final eight at Melbourne Park, de Minaur will be the first Australian man since Nick Kyrgios in 2015 to do so.

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De Minaur has reached the quarter finals of three grand slams in 2024 but his campaigns were later derailed by a lingering hip injury.

Competing in the United Cup group stages, de Minaur brushed off concerns that he is still battling the injury and declared “I’m back.”

The Sydneysider is not the only Australian to receive seeding protection, with Alexei Popyrin ranked 24th and Jordan Thompson at 27.

The trio’s rankings mark the first time since 1982 that three home-based men have been seeded in the singles drawn.