With the threat of the Big Three looming ever-large over Melbourne Park, challengers Dominic Thiem and Roberto Bautista Agut have easily negotiated their first-round Australian Open assignments.
Two-time French Open runner-up Thiem vaulted into the second round with a comfortable 6-3 7-5 6-2 win over Adrian Mannarino.
The Austrian fifth seed has largely disappointed at the Australian Open, having never been past the fourth round in six previous attempts.
But he along with US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev, who faces a first-round test against dynamic American Frances Tiafoe later on Tuesday, are rated among the biggest threats to Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Former Open finalist Marin Cilic is also shaping as a dangerous floater, winning his first-round clash in a canter.
Runner-up to Federer two years ago, Cilic blitzed past Frenchman Corentin Moutet 6-3 6-2 6-4 in an hour and 46 minutes.
The giant Croatian smashed 34 winners, dropping just one service game on his way to a dominant victory.
Cilic is unseeded at Melbourne Park after slipping outside the top 30 and next plays temperamental Frenchman Benoit Paire after the 21st seed outlasted Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-0.
The 2014 US Open champion is on a potential third-round collision course with Roberto Bautista Agut, who firmed as a tournament dark horse after securing a seventh-straight victory.
Bautista Agut, unbeaten in six matches during Spain’s run to the ATP Cup final, continued his winning ways, beating countryman Feliciano Lopez 6-2 6-2 7-5.
The ninth seed, a quarter-finalist in Melbourne last year, had to wait overnight to claim victory as heavy rain suspended the clash at 1-2 in the second set.
Another compatriot may await him in the second round, with Bautista Agut to face either Spain’s Pablo Andujar or American wildcard Michael Mmoh.
Canadian Milos Raonic, who lost to Andy Murray in the 2016 Wimbledon final, also had little trouble closing out his rain-delayed encounter over lucky loser Lorenzo Giustino 6-2 6-1 6-3.
Raonic is staring down the barrel of a likely third-round clash with last year’s breakout semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, but will first confront Chile’s Christian Garin who defeated Italian Stefano Travaglia 6-4 6-3 6-4.
Elsewhere, diminutive Argentinian 14th seed Diego Schwartzman cruised past South African Lloyd Harris with a 6-4 6-2 6-2 win, while Italian teen sensation Jannik Sinner outgunned Australian qualifier Max Purcell 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-4.
Fiery Italian 12th seed Fabio Fognini survived a major scare to progress 3-6 6-7 (7-3) 6-4 6-3 7-6 (10-5) over big-serving American Reilly Opelka in a fifth-set super-tiebreaker.
Polish 31st seed Hubert Hurkacz also fought back from two sets down, beating Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak 6-7 (7-4) 1-6 6-2 6-3 6-4.
