Bernard Tomic moved just one match away from enjoying another shot at the Australian Open but had to battle back dramatically from match point down in his second qualifying match in Doha to defeat a crestfallen teenage compatriot.
The always unpredictable Aussie admitted that he was sure he was out of the competition when Tristan Schoolkate, a rising 19-year-old talent from Perth who had performed superbly, served for the match at 5-4 in the deciding set and held a 40-30 lead.
Yet the youngster, the lowest-ranked player left in the field at No.839 in the world, blew it on his big moment, with the former world No.17 completely at his mercy, as he served up a nervy double fault.
A second consecutive double immediately then helped gift the break back to Tomic, who went on to take advantage of the reprieve and prevail in the new 10-point tiebreak decider 6-4 1-6 7-6 (10-3).
The memory of his failure saw young Schoolkate look a picture of misery afterwards.
But following a draining contest that lasted nearly two-and-a-half hours in the Qatar heat, this was a performance of real steel and spirit from the oft-maligned 28-year-old Tomic, which demonstrated his keenness to make a splash in his latest comeback.
He must now win his final qualifying match on Wednesday, against his friend John-Patrick Smith, with at least one Australian therefore guaranteed a coveted place in Melbourne, where Tomic has previously reached the last-16 on three occasions.
Left-hander "JP" enjoyed a huge win, coming from a set down to defeat Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, ranked 160 places higher than the 31-year-old Townsville journeyman, 2-6 6-3 6-4.
One other Australian who has a shot at a Melbourne place is Penrith teenager Dane Sweeny, who was given a walkover into Wednesday's final qualifier after his American opponent Denis Kudla tested positive for COVID-19.
