Age is just a number to Alex de Minaur, and the teen isn't feeling the nerves ahead of a blockbuster Australian summer of tennis.
The 19-year-old was at his clinical best against countryman Alexei Popyrin on Tuesday night, with de Minaur opening his Brisbane International account with a 6-2 6-2 win to join fellow Aussies Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson and John Millman in the second round.
De Minaur burst out of the blocks at Pat Rafter Arena twelve months ago as he fought his way to the semi-finals.
With a breakout year now under his belt, and having been named the 2018 ATP Newcomer of the Year, de Minaur arrives back on home soil with a greater profile and greater expectation.
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As messrs Kyrgios, Millman and Thompson thrilled, Thanasi Kokkinakis, James Duckworth and Destanee Aiava put in some solid performances against heavier favourites, highlighting that the local crop is as confident as ever heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open.
However, on Tuesday, it was all about de Minaur as he proved why he's one of the brightest young stars in the game, outsmarting a free-flowing Popyrin in the early stages of the contest before hitting top gear.
At one stage, de Minaur had opened up a 6-2 4-0 before rebounding from a drop in serve to take out the match in exactly an hour.
While just one of only two teenagers in the men’s top 100 - the other being Canadian Denis Shapovalov - de Minaur demonstrated why comparisons with the headstrong Lleyton Hewitt go beyond the tennis court.
"I'm incredibly happy to be back [in Brisbane]. This is where it all started for me. It feels amazing playing on this court in front of these amazing fans," de Minaur said after the match.
"There's nothing better than coming back here. Us Aussie players are extremely proud and grateful to have such amazing fans.
"We get to start the year at home, and a lot of players are not able to do this. We've just got to be able to make good use of it and leave it all out there."
Aussie men's No.1 @alexdeminaur is clinical against countryman Alexei Popyrin, winning 6-2 6-2 at Pat Rafter Arena. Great handshake at net.
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 1, 2019
The No.7 seed will face the winner of another all-Aussie affair between @abolt15 and @jordanthommmo2 #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/zdGBy6HRyE
De Minaur will take on Davis Cup teammate Thompson - who won another all-Aussie match over Alex Bolt - in the second round, but refused to think too far ahead to a possible quarter-final clash against Rafael Nadal.
Matches against players of Nadal's calibre are things 31-ranked de Minaur is getting used to, and Popyrin has every reason to use his fellow Aussie as an example to help his career hit another gear.
Popyrin, the 2017 French Open boys champion, is ranked 61 places better than de Minaur was prior to making the 2018 Brisbane semis, and is six months younger.
"Once you have that full year on tour, you're used to playing these sorts of matches, and you don't come into the court as nervous," de Minaur said.
"Alexei is a hell of a player and he’s gonna play some incredible tennis over the Australian summer... [today was a] big opportunity for both of us. And today I played better."
Earlier on Tuesday, Kyrgios wiped away frustrations of a pre-tournament spider bite that required hospitalisation to extend his unbeaten record to 4-0 over American Ryan Harrison.
In a rematch of the 2018 Brisbane final, Kyrgios cleaned up the first set before Harrison forced a decider.
While slowed by a knee complaint which required attention, Kyrgios managed to retain composure to complete a 7-6 [7-5] 5-7 7-6 [7-5] victory that featured a whopping 44 aces.
