Ruthless defending champion Jannik Sinner was in the zone Saturday as he powered into the last 16 of the Australian Open with a straight-sets thrashing of American Marcos Giron.
The Italian world No 1 dropped a set for the first time in 14 matches in his second-round clash against Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate.
But there were no such wobbles against the unseeded Giron on Rod Laver Arena as he emphatically sprinted home 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 2hrs 1min, slamming 35 winners and eight aces.
Awaiting him next is either Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic or Danish 13th seed Holger Rune, who will face a player on a 17-match win streak.
That record stretches back to a defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in Beijing in October.
"Very happy to be in the next round," said Sinner, who also won the US Open and ATP Finals among eight titles last year.
"Every match has its own difficulties. Today I felt like he was very solid from the back of the court, he served well.
"I still have room to improve, but every win is great.
"Trying to stay there mentally, which I think is the most important aspect for us tennis players,' he added.
"But for sure, if I want to go on in this tournament I have to improve."
The 23-year-old, who is defending a Grand Slam title for the first time after his five-set win against Daniil Medvedev in last year's final, asserted his authority immediately against Giron.
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He broke him on his first service game and that proved sufficient to take the set, despite making 11 unforced errors, two more than Giron.
The top seed bided his time in set two before making his move in the fifth game, working two break points and taking a 3-2 lead when Giron slapped a forehand wide.
The American, who was bidding to reach the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time, had no answers as Sinner dominated the rallies.
A Sinner backhand winner earned him another break to move 2-0 clear in the third set and it all looked to be over.
But the plucky Giron, ranked 46, still had some fight left and broke for the first time in the match to level up at 2-2.
That riled up the Italian, who broke straight back and made no more mistakes in winning the next four games on his way to victory.
TIEN YOUNGEST MAN INTO LAST 16
American qualifier Learner Tien became the youngest man to reach the Australian Open fourth round in 20 years as he beat an ailing Corentin Moutet 7-6(10) 6-3 6-3 , continuing the teenager's fairytale run at Melbourne Park.
Less than two months after his 19th birthday, world number 121 Tien already had the more experienced Moutet's measure before the French world number 69 was hit with trouble in his upper left leg in the late afternoon clash at Kia Arena.
Tien's win in the battle of lefthanders came two days after he pulled off the upset of the tournament by beating former US Open champion and three-times finalist Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller.
The Californian is the youngest man to get to the fourth round since an 18-year-old Rafael Nadal in 2005.
"It feels great, obviously," said Tien, who will face unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego for a place in the quarter-finals.
"This exceeded my expectations coming into this week, you expect to win every match but to be in the second week is amazing."
A number of teenagers have impressed at Melbourne Park, with Brailian Joao Fonseca and Czech Jakub Mensik also bundling out top 10 seeds.
But Tien is the last teen standing in a second week cohort dominated by veterans like 37-year-old Novak Djokovic and 38-year-old Monfils.
Among American men, only an 18-year-old Pete Sampras was younger when he reached the fourth round in Melbourne.
Tien will have young American company in the fourth round, though, with impressive 20-year-old Alex Michelsen swatting aside Russian 2023 semi-finalist Karen Khachanov 6-3 7-6(5) 6-2 in two hours and 15 minutes at John Cain Arena.
Michelsen, who upset 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round, became the youngest American to claim multiple top 20 victories at a Grand Slam since Sampras and Andre Agassi at the 1990 US Open.
MONFILS SENDS FRITZ PACKING
French flair topped American firepower as Gael Monfils turned back the clock to dump fourth seed Taylor Fritz out of the Australian Open on Saturday and book a place in the last 16.
At 38, Monfils is enjoying a late-career flourish and Fritz felt the full brunt of it as the Frenchman rallied from a set down to claim a thrilling 3-6 7-5 7-6(1) 6-4 win in the afternoon sunshine at Margaret Court Arena.
Soaking up punishment from Fritz with a stonewall defence, Monfils dismantled the American with pure tennis "IQ" and danced a jig after sealing the win with an ace down the "T".
The win made Monfils the second oldest man to reach the fourth round since 1988 when the tournament started having full, 128-player draws. Only Federer, in 2020, was older.
"It was an unbelievable match," said Monfils, who is riding an eight-match winning streak.
"Taylor is that strong, serving very well.
"I felt like I could move great today and the game-plan was to hold my best line and definitely change the tempo.
"I think I've done the job."
Monfils, who won the Auckland Classic in the lead up to Melbourne Park, will play the winner of American Ben Shelton and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.
Fritz, the US Open finalist, bows out with a reality check after making the quarter-finals in Melbourne last year.
The powerful American may look back at the match as a missed opportunity against the oldest player remaining in the draw. In reality, though, he was outplayed by the clever Frenchman after taking the first set.
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"It's just been fortunate but you know every day is different," said Monfils.
"We work hard, I try to be very disciplined with the recovery. I am a strong believer in myself, I still believe I can do some damage.
"With a little bit of luck here we are in the second week of the Australian Open."
Monfils took the court in the match before his wife Elina Svitolina was due on Margaret Court Arena to play Jasmine Paolini - the women's fourth seed.
"I think I warmed up the court for her," he joked.
DRAPER WARNS ALCARAZ HE'S IN FOR A BATTLE
Marathon man Jack Draper says Carlos Alcaraz will have a battle on his hands when they meet in the Australian Open last 16, with the Briton showing remarkable staying power to set up the clash.
The gritty 15th seed has come through his first three Melbourne matches in five sets, rallying from behind in all of them to set up a clash with the four-time Grand Slam winner.
His 3hr 58min slog to beat Aleksandar Vukic in a match that ended early on Saturday morning came on the back of beating Mariano Navone and Thanasi Kokkinakis in similarly tough encounters.
So far, he has spent nearly 13 hours on court, which is all the more remarkable given he pulled out of the lead-up United Cup with a hip injury.
Draper beat Alcaraz the last time they played, on grass at the Queens Club in London last year. The Spaniard won the two meetings before that.
"I need to be aggressive. I need to take my chances," Draper said, looking ahead to the showdown.
"Against the top players you get less and less chances to win games and sets.
"I need to be brave in the way I play," he added.
"But I'm expecting him to come out and know that I've played three five-setters and know that he's got a battle on his hands, and he's going to have to play good."
Draper is only the seventh man in history to win their first three rounds at the Australian Open in five sets, with he said was testament to the work he has put in.
"I'm done after two sets most of the time," admitted the Briton, who won his maiden ATP Tour title in Stuttgart last year.
"I mean, that's just the way it is and that's something that I'm aware of and I needed to be better at that.
"I still have a long way to go, but this is a huge drive forward, the fact that mentally and physically, three five-set matches, it doesn't happen often.
"That's a testament to the work I've done and the place I'm in."