Aussie wrap, Day 4: Alex Bolt wins five-set epic, Alexei Popyrin through to third round

MELBOURNE, Australia -- There were two Australian underdogs in action on Day 4, and both Alexei Popyrin and Alex Bolt have booked their spots in the third round at Melbourne Park.

Alex Bolt (AUS) def. Gilles Simon

2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4

Victorian wildcard Alex Bolt has claimed the biggest scalp of his career, downing 29th seed Gilles Simon in a grueling five-set epic in front of a heaving crowd on Court 3.

The 26-year-old started slowly, dropping five of the first six games which allowed Simon to easily pocket the opening set in just 34 minutes. However, once he settled into the contest he gave the experienced Frenchman something to think about. His crafty serve and solid net play was a feature of the second set which he took to level up the match.

He then gave up the third set before once again challenging Simon to live up to his seeding; in a fourth set tiebreaker, Bolt saved a match point before taking the set 9-7.

The wildcard then broke early in the fifth and held serve until the seventh game of the set, but Simon rallied to break back to level the set at 4-4. It looked inevitable that the more experienced Frenchman would take the set and the match, but Bolt broke back immediately and served out a stunning 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory.

Alexei Popyrin (AUS) def. Dominic Thiem (ret.)
7-5, 6-4, 2-0

What a performance from 19-year-old Sydneysider Alexei Popyrin.

Up against seventh seed Dominic Thiem -- himself a French Open finalist -- the young Aussie played a near-perfect two and half sets before Thiem pulled out of the clash due to illness.

Matching the Austrian stride for stride in the early parts of the match, Popyrin balanced strong service games with nimble court coverage, barely giving the Austrian an opportunity to break serve. Instead, and to the delight of the Melbourne Arena crowd, it was the local hope who converted a break point first -- in the twelfth game of the first set.

Thiem was visibly frustrated for the remainder of the encounter; after smashing a racquet, he gifted the Australian an early break and with it an unstoppable wave of momentum, which Popyrin converted into a 6-4 second set scoreline. He then went up 2-0 in the third before Thiem called time.

Popyrin said he "had an idea" his opponent was struggling, adding that he "used it to his advantage" to skip out to a two sets to love lead.

"I probably noticed somewhere in the middle of the first set when he wasn't serving as strongly as he usually was," he said post-match.

The upset paves the way for a winnable third-round match for the Australian, who will face 28th seed Lucas Pouille.