When Jason Kubler made his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open in 2010, the then-16-year-old is unlikely to have imagined it would take 13 years to claim a main-draw win at his home Grand Slam.
With Monday's straight-sets win over Sebastian Baez, the 29-year-old local not only claimed that long-awaited breakthrough but wrote another significant chapter in his comeback story after some well-documented struggles with injury.
MORE: All the scores from Day 1 at AO 2023
"It's definitely been a long time," said Kubler, following a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over Baez, who at world No.44 is ranked 40 places higher than the Australian.
In a memorable day for the local contingent on Day 1 at AO 2023, fellow Queenslanders John Millman and Olivia Gadecki joined Kubler in the second round.
Gadecki, 20, made a stirring main-draw debut, the wildcard recording an impressive 7-5 6-1 victory against qualifier Polina Kudermetova.
MORE: AO 2023 women's singles draw
Meanwhile, 33-year-old Millman marched into the second round following a five-set epic against Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler.
After a grinding first three sets, the world No.148 dominated to win 12 of the last 17 games in a 6-7(8) 7-5 6-7(2) 6-2 6-3 result.
MORE: AO 2023 men's singles draw
Then, in a late-night result at Melbourne Park, Rinky Hijikata recovered from two sets to love down to unseat Yannick Hanfmann in front of a rapturous Court 8 crowd.
The win – his first ever in a Grand Slam main draw – sets up a clash with third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In a main-draw debut match he'll never forget, the 21-year-old wildcard battled for four hours and 25 minutes to record a 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 victory.
The world No.169 didn't buckle under pressure against 31-year-old Hanfmann, striking 58 winners in a gutsy win that was, by far, the longest match of his young career.
Kubler enjoys long-awaited victory
Since that first Australian Open match 13 years ago, when No.24 seed Ivan Ljubicic was the straight-sets winner, Kubler has contested the Australian Open main draw twice – most recently in 2019 – but failed to progress to the second round.
On the back of a career-best season in 2022, when Kubler qualified and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon, the Queenslander was awarded a wildcard into the main draw of the Australian Open.
It ensured he bypassed the challenge of qualifying, where he had faltered in the past three years.
"I'm proud of myself. I wasn't sure last year if I'd be in this sort of situation," said Kubler, who also won matches at Roland Garros and the US Open.
"It's kind of cool now just almost the last four Grand Slams that I've been able to win a match in main draw. If anything, I'm more proud of that, but also to be able to play in front of the Australian crowd. I haven't really had the opportunity to do that."
After a sizzling start to 2023, which featured three straight match wins over higher-ranked opponents (Dan Evans and Albert Ramos-Vinola at the United Cup; Tomas Martin Etcheverry in Adelaide), Kubler arrived in Melbourne with a career-high world No.84 ranking.
Kubler's performance delighted the supportive John Cain Arena audience, which included Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, and Australian coaching legend Tony Roche.
"There were definitely some nerves … it's the first time I've won here in singles, so a few nerves but also he's a great opponent, a great player," Kubler said of facing Baez.
"But I was able to pull it together and win those important points (and) luckily I was able to serve quite well."
The accomplished performance sets a second-round match with No.18 seed Karen Khachanov, a straight-sets winner over Bernabe Zapate Miralles.
"Now that I'm getting a tiny bit older in the tennis world, I want to play on these courts, I want to play in front of so many people," Kubler said.
'Millmania' alive and well in Melbourne
Millman was playing his 12th five-set match at Grand Slam level, and his sixth at the Australian Open.
Coming into this match, he'd lost his previous seven five-setters stretching back to Wimbledon 2016.
It was a record Day 1 crowd at Melbourne Park (49,274), and the grounds would hardly have heard a bigger roar than when Millman converted break point to get back on serve in the third set at 5-all.
When the Australian produced a magnificent lob at 5-6 30-30, the foundations of Court 3 began to shake.
Although he ultimately lost that third set, he drew on that energy in the fourth, seizing control to break serve twice (from five break point chances created) and striking 14 winners on the way to a 34-minute 6-2 set.
As world No.51 Huesler began to fatigue, his first serve percentage dropped to 47 per cent in the fifth as Millman kept the foot down to run away with victory in the four-hour battle.
He will next take on either US Open 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev or American Marcos Giron in the second round.
Gadecki enjoys career breakthrough
Earlier on Monday, Gadecki's win came over the younger sister of top-10 star Veronika Kudermetova, who was in form after qualifying for the main draw.
"I don't even think I can put it into words," beamed Gadecki after the match. "I've dreamt about it my whole life, and to really live it is just a whole other feeling."
In a battle between two rising stars contesting their first Grand Slam main draws, it was world No.199 Gadecki who proved the most composed.
Opening play at Court 8, Gadecki calmly worked her way into the match against the world No.182.
The Gold Coast talent secured the first break in the 12th game, firing a backhand return winner to clinch the opening set.
With the momentum in her favour, Gadecki charged home. She won seven consecutive games to build a 5-0 lead, then closed out a breakthrough victory against 19-year-old Kudermetova in 76 minutes.
"The crowd was amazing today," Gadecki said.
"I feel like in the past I've kind of kept to myself a bit. Today I just wanted to kind of let them in and really embrace the crowd.
"It's such a once-in-a-lifetime sort of moment. So I'm really thankful for the crowd. They got me over the line."
It marks Gadecki's biggest win since upsetting world No.4 Sofia Kenin as an unranked wildcard during the Melbourne Summer Series in February 2021.
Her second-round opponent will be world No.61-ranked Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who eliminated No.28 seed Amanda Anisimova in the opening round.
"It's such a confidence booster making the second round of a Slam," Gadecki said.
"But I definitely believe that I can do more."