Fifth seed Kevin Anderson in four sets. Andreas Seppi in five. 20th seed Grigor Dimitrov in four.
A son of immigrants from the West African nation of Sierra Leone, Frances Tiafoe is on a giant-killing run at Melbourne Park.
The 21-year-old kicked off his tournament against 109th-ranked Indian Prajnesh Gunneswaran, winning in straight sets.
However, his second round boilover against Anderson proved Tiafoe isn't there to make up the numbers.
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What's more, is Anderson won the first set - but the 39th-ranked American later found the defining breaks to win 4-6 6-4 6-4 7-5.
From there, wearing down Italian veteran Seppi in five sets, and Dimitrov in four ensured Tiafoe is the real deal.
You don't make the second week of a Grand Slam through luck. You've got to work hard, and harder still. Just ask Stefanos Tsitsipas.
For Tiafoe, though, the road hasn't been an easy one. Far from it.
A New York Times feature on a 14-year-old Tiafoe painted the picture perfectly from its first line: An Aston Martin, a Bentley and a Jaguar are among the cars parked at the Tennis Center at College Park. Through the door of the private club one will find luxury locker rooms; 30 courts; a health club; and an office, about 120 square feet with one window, that was once a makeshift apartment the janitor called home.
That janitor, Constant Tiafoe, lived with his twin sons Frances and Franklin.
As Constant worked away, emptying bins and tending to courts at Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) at College Park in Maryland, Frances would quietly hit balls and later gain the attention of coaches.
Seven years later, a 21-year-old Frances was screaming to the heavens, beating his chest and collapsing to the ground as Dimitrov packed his things.
In that feature article, JTCC boss Ray Benton summed up Tiafoe's journey best: “It could be argued that Francis is the luckiest kid in the world. It was pure serendipity. He didn’t pick tennis; tennis picked him."
Constant emigrated to the United States in 1993, and had to wait three years before Alphina joined him to escape the civil war in Sierra Leone. Two years later, they brought twins into the world, and they were floated between spending time with their father and their mother, who worked night shifts as a nurse.
When Frances was eight years old, he was coached by Misha Kouznetsov, who sponsored the youngster as he progressed through the junior ranks. Their nine-year partnership would end when Tiafoe moved to the USTA National Training Center in Florida.
After seeing off Dimitrov - on his birthday, no less - Tiafoe is now more than a son of immigrants from the West African nation of Sierra Leone - he will feature in the second week of a Grand Slam for the very first time.
His Melbourne Park run was on the cards the moment he stepped onto the court. Last year, he beat Juan Martin del Potro, Tomas Berdych, Pablo Carreno Busta and Kyle Edmund on the way to his first tour title at Delray Beach.
Now, he's preparing for a quarter-final on centre court against 17-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who described Tiafoe as "dangerous".
"My phone is blowing up. I can barely use it," Tiafoe said on-court after Sunday's match.
"I didn't think it was going to happen right away. This is unbelievable, man.
"I told my parents ten years ago that I was gonna do this, I was gonna change their lives and my life.
"Now I'm in the quarters of a slam at 21... I can't believe it, man."
He should believe it. He always had it. He may have been walked into tennis thanks to his father's job, but you've got to make it work.
When The Washington Post did a feature on a 16-year-old Tiafoe, he acknowledged his privilege, and considering his background and the attention given to him, he only had eyes on doing everyone proud.
"It’s not like everything was given to me. I had to really work hard for it and earn it... I’m very thankful for what I have. I don’t want to let anyone down," he said at the time.
"I’m only 16, but I’m like 35 in tennis years. I’ve been on a tennis court all my life. The only thing that’s been there longer is the net post."
Having taken time to let the Dimitrov result sink in, Tiafoe - who bought a house in Maryland for his mother when his career began to take off - recognised that he can now put his career first.
"It's crazy man. Obviously, if you guys know anything about me, I'm not a normal tennis story," he told reporters.
"The beginning of my career, I was playing for them and trying to do everything for my family.
"I've put them in a great place. Now, I'm doing it for me."