Alex de Minaur has eyes only on revenge, not a deep Australian Open run, as the home hope's Melbourne Park draw looks more inviting than ever.
De Minaur's path to the quarter-finals of his home grand slam was already enticing as the world No.10 avoided any potential last-16 showdowns with heavyweights including 10-time champion Novak Djokovic and second-seeded Wimbledon title-holder Carlos Alcraraz at last week's draw.
Djokovic and big-hitting Jannik Sinner have crushed de Minaur in the fourth round in his past two Open tilts.
This year, he is slated to strike world No.5 Andrey Rublev in the round of 16, presenting de Minaur with his best chance yet to make the quarter-finals.
In a further boost, Chile's world No.18 Nicolas Jarry was eliminated in round one, giving de Minaur a seed-free passage through to the second week.
Instead of Jarry, de Minaur will face either Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli or Russian world No.65 Pavel Kotov if he beats the 41st-ranked Matteo Arnaldi on Wednesday.
"I have no idea about my draw," the 24-year-old said.
"I don't look at the draw. I don't like it. It's a way of getting ahead of yourself. There's no moment like the present.
"The only thing I'm really focused about is just my next-round opponent, which is Arnaldi, who is a quality Italian player with a lot of firepower.
"I'm going to be ready for that battle. Whatever happens, happens after that."
De Minaur admits his stoush with Arnaldi is personal - even though the two have never clashed before.
Arnaldi beat Alexei Popyrin to seal Australia's fate in last year's Davis Cup final in Malaga, something of an affront to the fiercely patriotic de Minaur.
"It's no secret Davis Cup is a huge priority for me," he said.
"It's been shattering the last couple of years to get so close to the holy grail and just barely miss out.
"I do associate Matteo as the guy that beat us in the Davis Cup final. I'll do my best to hopefully get some revenge."
De Minaur has been a man on a mission this year, proving with wins over Djokovic, Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev that once he sets his sights on something, he's a tough man to stop.
"I knew in the past that maybe being a defender/counter-puncher wasn't going to beat the top guys in the world," he said.
"I had to improve in that aspect and develop a more aggressive playing style.
"That's what's been getting me the wins against the top players. It gives me a lot of confidence knowing I can do this on the bigger stages, and I can take it to the top players in the world."
De Minaur is among five Australians in second-round action on Wednesday, with Alexei Popyrin's blockbuster with Djokovic set to headline the night session on Rod Laver Arena.
Chris O'Connell takes on American 16th seed Ben Shelton, a quarter-finalist in Melbourne last year before making the semis at the US Open.
Jordan Thompson also has a tough mission, against Greek seventh seed and 2023 Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Qualifier Storm Hunter is the only Australian woman chasing a third-round berth on day four, up against fellow doubles ace Laura Siegemund of Germany.
AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY FOUR OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN (PREFIX DENOTES SEEDING):
Men's singles, second round
Alexei Popyrin v 1-Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Jordan Thompson v 7-Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
Chris O'Connell v 16-Ben Shelton (USA)
10-Alex de Minaur v Matteo Arnaldi (ITA)
Women's singles, second round
Storm Hunter v Laura Siegemund (GER)
