Alex de Minaur hopes he's helped put a smile back on the face of Australian sport after battling into Wimbledon's second week again following a heartbreaking weekend for both the Socceroos and the Wallabies.
De Minaur, who'd watched the Australian soccer men's exit on penalties at the World Cup on the eve of his third-round match and found it "heartbreaking", took to his now trusty Court 3 on Saturday just while the national rugby men were being pipped agonisingly by Ireland.
But fifth seed de Minaur, as so often the last Australian standing at a grand slam, was in no mood to continue the tale of green-and-gold woe as he subdued a one-time American wonder boy Zachary Svajda, who's earned a reputation as an Aussie slayer, to book a fourth-round spot.
Svajda had defeated both Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton in his recent breakthrough run at the French Open, and there were moments on another sunny Saturday at the All England Club when he had Australia's No.1 on the run too.
But in an entertaining battle full of quicksilver athletic rallies between two speedy, counter-punching lightweights, it was world No.6 de Minaur who eventually proved the de luxe version as Svajda, who needed treatment on his troublesome quad, succumbed 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4.
De Minaur later revealed he'd watched the Socceroos' shootout defeat by Egypt on the eve of the contest.
"It was heartbreaking, but incredibly proud of the efforts of those boys. They left their heart out from the very first minute 'til the end," he said.
"They came in as underdogs and nobody really expected much. They put in a hell of a battle, and it was just a little bit cruel it didn't kind of go our way."
Asked if his win might have brought back a smile to Aussie sport, he added: "Look, I'm just one person. I'm hoping I helped -- even if it's a little bit."
He'll now be hoping to really give the country something to cheer as he targets his latest bid to breach his quarter-final 'ceiling' at grand slams, starting with a daunting last-16 date with Flavio Cobolli, Italy's No.9 seed who, fresh from surprisingly reaching the French Open final, outlasted Russia's 19th seed Karen Khachanov.
In a real thriller of a five-setter, de Minaur won't have been unhappy to see Cobolli slog it out for four hours in the sun before fighting back to prevail 0-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-2.
The Australian, in contrast, won in two hours 41 minutes, but did drop his first set of the tournament to the 23-year-old Svajda, who was once seen as a youthful 'phenom' and played in the US Open at 16.
De Minaur felt he was a "hell of a player who's got one of the best running cross-court forehands I've ever seen."
Back for a third victory on Court 3 this week, de Minaur will now still look forward to visiting the biggest showcourts, and after recognising he might have taken his foot off the attacking gas and become too passive, he acknowledged Svajda was a "tough opponent".
"I'm going to have to step it up in the next match, but I feel like I'm playing at a high level. I feel like I'm where I want to be. I'm in a good position. Body's feeling good. Mentally I'm feeling fresh. This is when I'm my most dangerous."
'Demon' certainly produced some highlight reel moments with his spectacular diving on the lawns, not least when he pulled off one Boris Becker-like swan dive, scrambled to his feet and still won the point.
He broke in the very first game, controlled the first set, earned a quick break in the second but world No.66 Svajda lifted his level dramatically, as de Minaur loosened the intensity, to level.
The uneven nature of the fifth seed's display was in evidence again as de Minaur broke four times and was broken twice in the third set as Svajda began to feel the pace and needed a medical time out for treatment on his left thigh.
But from there, de Minaur was always in command. "I was happy I was able to stay strong mentally and keep that level throughout the third and fourth set. I did well to really kind of just hang in there and keep fighting," he said.