An improbable extension to Michael Mmoh's Melbourne stay has convinced the American never to doubt his luck again.
DRAW: Australian Open 2023 men's singles
Were it not for a spate of late withdrawals from the Australian Open main draw, the 25-year-old would have touched down across the Pacific again by now, weighing up whether to tune in to coverage of an event he dreamt of being a part of, or distracting himself to lessen the pain of missing out.
The world No.107 had fallen at the final qualifying hurdle to Australian Aleksandar Vukic, but made the most of a lucky loser call-up to surge past Laurent Lokoli from two sets down in the first round.
Then his biggest moment Down Under, a four-set defeat of 12th seed Alexander Zverev, a man on the way back from a serious ankle injury last June.
Words of wisdom from his good friend and established tour star, Frances Tiafoe, rang true as he faced his moment of truth.
"I was actually talking to Frances before the match, and he told me, 'You're going to be in a position to win this match'. It's just, 'Are you going to seize the moment?'," Mmoh said.
"I wanted to make sure that I did do that once I got in that position."
Through to the third round at a major for the first time, the Saudi Arabian-born son of an Irish-Australian mother and Nigerian father now harbours lofty plans of cracking the second week with compatriot J.J. Wolf, his next obstacle.
Mmoh and Wolf were two of an eight-strong group of American men through to the third round at Melbourne Park this year.
Their talisman, eighth seed Taylor Fritz, was not among them, but Mmoh is not short on motivation.
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"All these guys are my good friends… Frances is probably my best friend," Mmoh said.
"I grew up with Tommy [Paul]. Seeing him win 6-4 in the fifth [against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina], I was actually in the quiet room and I was watching him, and seeing him hit that backhand passing shot winner, it's tough not to get inspired by moments like that.
"I've known these guys for so long. I've competed with them. You know, when you see something like that, and you are next on, it's tough not to be inspired."
Mmoh said memories of Tiafoe's remarkable feats at Flushing Meadows last September, a run which carried him past players including Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev to his first Grand Slam semifinal, had rubbed off in a big way.
"I was tuned in to every match," he said. "You know, he is like a brother to me. To see that, it was beyond inspiring.
"Actually, shortly after that I went on a run myself. I feel like part of that has to do with him just motivating me and inspiring me.
"Hopefully that continues. Hopefully, I close the gap between our careers."
There was plenty to celebrate when those bags were finally repacked and that flight rebooked, regardless of when Mmoh's stay comes to an end.
Any guilt at having left his fiancée, Klara, back in the US has passed.
"The thing is, I proposed and then two days later I left to come to these tournaments," he said.
"So it would have been maybe a little sad if I would have came back and lost in qualies… We definitely have got to celebrate that moment together when we're back, along with the engagement."