After securing his spot in the last 16 with a straight-sets victory, local favorite Alex de Minaur may have the daunting challenge of facing nine-time winner Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open fourth round.
In front of a partisan crowd on Rod Laver Arena, de Minaur advanced to the second week of the season-opening major via a 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-1 win over unseeded Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in two hours and eight minutes.
Key points:
De Minaur triumphed over Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-1
Novak Djokovic will play Grigor Dimitrov in the third round in the evening session
It is the second consecutive year de Minaur has reached the fourth round
Bonzi was no match for de Minaur on Saturday, but should Djokovic overcome former world number three Grigor Dimitrov in their matchup in the evening session, the Serb will be a step up in class.
De Minaur has now advanced to the fourth round twice in a row.
Fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin, who will play American Ben Shelton on Saturday night, may join the 22nd seed.
De Minaur claimed he enjoyed playing in front of a home audience. His racquet bag bears the phrase, "don't worry!!!
In his interview with the media on the court, de Minaur said, "Every time I get out here, I have to pinch myself."
"I just enjoy what I do every day and I'm just happy."
De Minaur, who was Australia's highest-ranked player in the men's draw following Nick Kyrgios's withdrawal, sprinted from the gates in the opening game of the first set when he broke Bonzi's serve.
His groundstrokes were on song, illustrated by a superbly placed forehand return that clinched the break.
His opening service game was strong, forcing Bonzi to largely play defence from the baseline as he held for a 2-0 lead.
However, in the fourth game, De Minaur's serve failed him, resulting in back-to-back double faults that forced the 23-year-old to play catch-up. To tie the match at 2-2, Bonzi converted on his third break point after he was down 0-40. He had previously saved two break opportunities.
De Minaur's ability to scamper after balls with his outstanding speed is one among his many admirable on-court traits. Throughout the first set, especially while Bonzi was serving, this was evident.
Given that Bonzi had already lost to de Minaur twice the previous year and that the seventh game demonstrated how rapidly his opponent can switch from defense to attack from the baseline, it would not have come as a surprise to him.