Men's singles third round
Felix Auger-Aliassime concedes that a healthy dose of good fortune has played its part in prolonging his stay in Melbourne this year.
MORE: All the scores from AO 2023
Keen to make the most of his near miss following a second-round five-set scrap, the sixth seed has the wind in his sails again after taking down Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-4 on Friday.
The build-up
Auger-Aliassime was all but packing his bags for the airport when he languished two sets behind, out of sorts and outplayed by left-handed Slovak Alex Molcan in the previous round.
The Canadian admitted his sole objective was simply to extend the length of that match after the first two and a half sets.
His opponent's sudden capitulation aided his cause but it was the kind of survival that often frees up a contender to stay the course.
One of the most prolific match winners in the latter half of 2022, just how Auger-Aliassime would rebound was a question Cerundolo was willing to ask.
The Argentine was one of the most-improved on tour last season as he shaved more than 100 places off his ranking to climb as high as world No.24.
While much of his success came on clay, he was no slouch on hard courts after a run to his first Masters 1000 semifinal in Miami. This was the first major at which he had won a main draw match
Story of the match
Little of the rust that made life difficult for Auger-Aliassime early on in his opening matches against Vasek Pospisil and Molcan was present on Friday as he came out swinging and on song from the off.
His lightning start came in stark contrast to those prior outings and a welcome turnaround if he was to push deep into the second week.
Cerundolo knew he had to make changes and fast if he stood any chance and his moment came in the second set when he broke for 3-1.
The 28th seed backed his forehand, clocking eight winners off his dominant wing to level the match, but it was just the wake-up call to jolt the Canadian back into action.
Auger-Aliassime dramatically lifted his first-serve percentage through the final sets to above 73 per cent and closed out the two-hour, 35-minute clash fittingly on his ninth ace.
"I was playing a bit tight and not going for it in the second set and he did, so credit to him," Auger-Aliassime said.
"I'm happy with how I was able to turn it around and the last two sets were probably some of my best ones so far in this tournament. It's a good start and just happy to be through."
What it means for Auger-Aliassime
The sixth seed awaits the winner of 11th seed Cameron Norrie and Czech Jiri Lehecka.
He has never faced Lehecka but owns a commanding 5-1 record against the Brit, including three of the four times they met on hard courts last season.
DRAW: Australian Open 2023 men's singles
"Relief and happiness. I've been playing well the last few years here," Auger-Aliassime said. "Third time in a row in the round of 16... I had a great start compared to my two first rounds, so this was better.
"It kind of gave me a little cushion. Against tough opponents there's going to be ups and downs."
What next for the Cerundolo?
Cerundolo's record fell to 2-7 against top-10 opponents but the 24-year-old left with his head held high after his first venture to the third round of a major.
A return home for the South American clay-court swing is next, where he has a bunch of semifinal points to defend in Rio de Janeiro.