Alex de Minaur was the only positive from an Aussie singles perspective on day four in Indian Wells, as he cruised into the third round with a 6-2 6-2 victory over veteran David Goffin.
Challenged by the technically sound Belgian, whose backhand was still in full flight, de Minaur put in a strong performance against an opponent he’s now beaten more than any other on tour (7-0 record).
"It's obviously a game style there that I enjoy playing against. I know it's quite similar [to himself]. I've played him plenty of times so I'm always very set with my mindset and my tactics going in, so I know what I need to do to be effective against him," de Minaur told the media.
The 25-year-old - who arrived in the desert having already played seventeen matches this season - needed some time to recoup before launching into the 'sunshine double' (Indian Wells + Miami).
"I'm feeling good. It's been a very busy start of the year. After Dubai, I was a little bit mentally fatigued from playing a lot of matches, doing a lot of traveling," de Minaur revealed.
"I came here quite early. I had four or five days of just not grabbing a tennis racket and just relaxing, and I feel refreshed. I feel like I'm ready to go again."
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In the lead-up to tonight's match, de Minaur hit with 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt, who has arrived in California off a career-best week in Launceston, and ahead of the J300 event next week.
And the Aussie no.1 was full of both praise and advice when asked about his pre-match hitting partner.
"He's got a lot of talent. He's a great ball striker, can really hit winners off a lot of different balls. He's got a great service action as well," de Minaur stated.
"One of the most important things for him is to take it day by day. It's going to be a lot of hours that he's going to spend on the tennis court, a lot of hours competing, so just enjoy the process.
"You don't need to rush things. You just need to let things play out how they're meant to play out. Everyone's got their own timeline."
De Minaur - who has become the highest seed left in his quarter of the draw after Novak Djokovic's early exit - will face Hubert Hurkacz in the next round.
Three Aussies bowed out of the main draw on Saturday, with Kimberly Birrell, Adam Walton, and Rinky Hijikata all suffering straight sets defeats.
Birrell was the most competitive of the trio, challenging Elise Mertens from the baseline and winning the majority of lengthy exchanges, but dropped a crucial service game to stay in each set, going down 4-6 5-7.
Walton - who exited with a 6-3 6-2 defeat to Denis Shapovalov - was more competitive than the scoreline suggests, holding three break points to take control of the first set and leading 2-0 in the second, but was ultimately too inconsistent in crucial moments.
Hijikata was disappointed after his 7-5 6-1 loss to Brandon Nakashima; a match that got away from the Aussie after an even ten-game start, with the American in full control on his service games.
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