Carlos Alcaraz was a drawcard for fans on Thursday, but Italian opponent Lorenzo Sonego joined him in highlighting what makes the Australian Open special.
Meanwhile, the world number one was thinking about the flight home before rallying to a memorable win.
Here are five quick hits from day five at Melbourne Park.
1. Alcaraz and Sonego showcase the best of the Australian Open
Second seed Carlos Alcaraz endured a tricky test before finding his groove to overcome Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(3) and make the third round, producing one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament.
The match was paused for rain at the midway point but once the pair were back out on court they put on a show.
In a fourth set where both players were at their entertaining best, the pair twice produced what could arguably be the point of the grand slam, before showing their appreciation for each other with either applause or a handshake.
Sonego won the fifth game of the fourth set with the perfect drop shot, which was needed after Alcaraz chased down a lobbed shot and returned it through his legs.
Up 30-0 in the 11th game, Sonego must have thought his overhead backhand would be good enough to win the point.
Then Alcaraz produced one of the great backhand winners, going around the net and kissing the line for the win.
"I'm really happy with my performance today," Alcaraz said.
"I think both of us played a really high level, high intensity, the match was a little bit tricky with the wind and the sun."
2. Max Purcell's old-school style falls short as Ruud prevails
Aussie Max Purcell almost treated the home crowd on Margaret Court Arena to a monumental win over 11th seed Casper Ruud.
But again, the fan favourite fell short — albeit not that easily.
Ruud's 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 victory over the Australian was an engaging struggle.
The match was every bit as good as the score suggests, with the players engaging in high-quality contrast of styles — Purcell with his serve and volleys and Ruud with his baseline game.
There were an incredible 101 net approaches from Purcell, and even Ruud had something to say about his opponent's old-school tennis approach.
"He plays fast and is one of the most unorthodox players these days and it's tough," Ruud said after the match.
"It brings it back a little more to the '90s and '80s with serve and volley.
"And that's tough you know, I'm not used to playing players like this. He made it really hard for me and luckily in the end it went in my favour."
Ruud will now progress to the third round, set to play 19th seed Cameron Norrie this Sunday.
3. 'I was at the airport': World number one fights back
World number one Iga Świątek clawed her way into the third round, defeating American Danielle Collins 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
Świątek, who lost to Collins in the semifinals in 2022, was behind 4-1 in the deciding set.
However, Collins lost her nerve — and the next five games — as Świątek extended her winning streak to 18 matches.
"Oh my God, I was at the airport already," Świątek said.
"But I wanted to fight till the end."
Świątek returned to the court for the third set with a strap on her knee, but said it was nothing to worry about.
"I have ups and downs, but it is not like it has an impact on my game," she said.
After the match, Collins announced this would be her final season.
"This is going to be my last season, actually, competing. I don't really know exactly when, but this will be my last season and I'm really looking forward to that."
4. Zverev dismisses question about upcoming trial
German sixth seed Alexander Zverev survived an almighty scare, coming from behind to beat qualifier Lukas Klein in five sets.
A former semifinalist at Melbourne Park, Zverev prevailed in a fifth-set tie-breaker to move into the third round.
But his tournament is being overshadowed by allegations he assaulted a woman in 2020 — an accusation he denies.
Zverev will face trial in Germany in May and was frustrated when he was asked about it during his media conference on Thursday.
"Wow, that’s the question," he said to the journalist who asked if he would appear in person for the trial.
"I just played four hours and 40 minutes. It's not the first question I really wanna hear, to be honest," he said.
"I’ve got no idea. It’s in May."
This was the only question asked to Zverev in English.
5. Which Australians are playing today?
- Alex de Minaur (10) vs Flavio Cobolli not before 7pm AEDT on John Cain Arena
- Storm Hunter (Q) vs Barbora Krejcikova not before 7pm AEDT on Rod Laver Arena
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