Unheralded qualifier John Millman is the first Australian through to the Brisbane International men’s second round after downing Japan’s Tatsuma Ito in straight sets.
Millman was buzzing before the match even began on Tuesday after receiving an Australian Open wildcard along with compatriot Ashleigh Barty.
It was a fitting reward for a strong year in which he hauled his world ranking up from No.541 to 199 after playing 25 tournaments.
As world No.79, Ito was ranked 120 places higher than Millman.
But the 23-year-old Brisbane baseliner thrilled his home crowd by wrapping up the 6-4 6-1 victory in an hour and a half.
He booked a second-round showdown with top seed and reigning US Open champion Andy Murray.
Millman had considered 2012 a good year after coming back from a serious shoulder injury and cracking the top 200.
Slogging it out on the Futures and Challengers circuits around the world in a bid to lift his ranking, Millman had patted himself on the back for ending the year “just” $12,000 out of pocket.
But he might be earning some extra cash from tournaments in 2013 judging by his first-round form on Tuesday.
Millman had lost all three previous meetings with Ito on the Challenger circuit.
He is the first Australian male player into Brisbane’s second round after compatriots Ben Mitchell and top-ranked Marinko Matosevic fell at the first hurdle.
Lleyton Hewitt and Matthew Ebden are yet to play their first-round matches.
But Hewitt received some good news after his first-round opponent, former champion Radek Stepanek, pulled out of Tuesday night’s clash due to an eye infection.
Russian lucky loser Igor Kunitsyn will replace veteran Czech Stepanek, the former world No.8.
Eccentric world No.31 Stepanek, 34, had enjoyed a Midas touch in Brisbane, claiming the 2009 title and making the 2010 final.
Eighth-seeded Slovakian Martin Klizan is also out after suffering a straight-sets first-round loss to Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin.