2765 Estoril, Portugal, 3 May 2018 | tennis.com.au

Alex De Minaur fought hard yet ultimately went down in straight sets to Kyle Edmund in the second round of the ATP Estoril Open on Wednesday.

The world No.23, seeded third at the claycourt, posted a 6-2 7-5 win to advance to the quarterfinals.

De Minaur trailed 6-2 3-1 but staged what is becoming a patented comeback, breaking serve in the eighth game to level at 5-5.

Yet the Brit’s experience shone through; he broke the wildcard for the fifth time in the match to earn a 6-5 lead, and sealed victory in one hour and 37 minutes.

One to remember: @alexdeminaur won his first ATP main draw match on clay here at #EstorilOpen this week and still has doubles QFs to play tomorrow with @lleytonhewitt. pic.twitter.com/7gLMwANtKC

— Estoril Open (@EstorilOpen) May 2, 2018

Edmund goes on to face local favourite Joao Sousa for a place in the semifinals.

De Minaur, meanwhile, inches closer to the top 100; he’s projected to rise three spots after his week in Estoril to a career-high of No.108.

He remains alive in doubles with Lleyton Hewitt; the Aussie wildcard pairing will take on Brits Edmund and Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals on Thursday.