Alex de Minaur is the last home seed standing after Jordan Thompson was sent unceremoniously packing from the Australian Open in Melbourne.
With no time for sentiment, Portuguese power puncher Nuno Borges pummelled Thompson 6-3 6-2 6-4 in a second-round ambush on Wednesday.
Mixing some ferocious hitting from the back with deft drop shots, Borges drove Thompson mad on John Cain Arena.
Seeded at a grand slam for the first time after a breakout season in 2024, Thompson received a code violation for ball abuse after falling two service breaks behind in the second set.
The world No.27 continued shaking his head, seemingly chasing answers to the Borges onslaught, after slipping two sets to love down.
With early protection from seeds, Thompson had been unlucky to draw Borges before the third round with the world No.33 the highest-ranked player he could have run into in his second match.
But, after entering the Open under a fitness cloud with a calf strain, Thompson should have been ready for the threat, with Borges becoming somewhat of a grand slam spoiler for Australians.
He crashed Thanasi Kokkinakis’s party at last year’s US Open, two days after Kokkinakis had ousted 2023 Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round.
Thompson’s departure comes after 25th seed Alexei Popyrin bombed out in the first round on Tuesday night with a injury-hampered four-set loss to Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
Borges’ victory earned the 27-year-old a crack at Spanish third seed and reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz on Friday as he chases a spot in the last 16 at Melbourne Park for a second straight year.
“It is the happy slam for me for sure,” he said.
“It’s not every day I get to play in a big stadium and I thought I dealt with it very well.
“It wasn’t easy dealing with the nerves. I knew I was not going to be the crowd favourite and Jordan was playing amazing.
“I’m really sorry for finishing it this way.”
Earlier world No.3 Alcaraz laid down an Australian Open marker with a strong serving display in his straight-sets demolition of Japanese opponent Yoshihito Nishioka.
After a temporary lapse of concentration midway through his first-round win over Alexander Shevchenko, Alcaraz remained dialled-in throughout his 6-0 6-1 6-4 victory at Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday.
It kept the four-time major winner on track as he chases his first success at Melbourne Park and seeks to become the youngest player to complete a career grand slam.
After tweaking his service action over the off-season, in search of more rhythm and precision, Alcaraz landed 60 per cent of first serves and sent down 14 aces to Nishioka’s one.
It was the third-highest number of aces Alcaraz has delivered in a match on tour, in an ominous sign for his Open rivals.
“I’m really happy with the serve today. It’s something that I worked (on) in the pre-season,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.
“In the first round I struggled a little bit, so I wasn’t too happy in the first round with the serve.
“Today I was more focused and on practising the serve I spent more time serving with Juan Carlos (Ferrero) and my team.
“It’s something that I really want to be better, so I’m just glad that today it worked pretty well.
“Hopefully in the next round it’s going to be better.”
Ten-time Open champion Djokovic had to claw his way past 21-year-old Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria, overcoming his own frustration on the way to a hard-fought 6-1 6-7 (7-4) 6-3 6-2 victory.
“I think I responded very well in the third and particularly fourth set, the way I ended up the match,” Djokovic said.
“He (Faria) was playing lights-out tennis. It was the end of the second set and beginning of the third, I had to weather the storm.
“He’s been practically serving two first serves the entire match. It’s not easy to play someone like that who obviously doesn’t have anything to lose in coming out.
“He’s a big guy, very young I think 20 or 21 years old, so I told him at the net the future is bright for him and he should keep it going.”
Jiri Lehecka also moved into the third round when French opponent Hugo Gaston retired, with the Czech 24th seed leading 6-3 3-1.
© AAP