Aussies in action, Day 2: Kyrgios leads Aussie contingent

MELBOURNE, Australia -- It's been a bumper day for the Australians, with eight winning through to the second round.

Catch up on the fortunes of all the Aussies in our daily wrap.

Results

Nick Kyrgios (23) (AUS) def. Lorenzo Sonego
6-2, 7-6(3), 7-6(1)

Read the Kyrgios match report here.

John Millman (AUS) def. Ugo Humbert
7-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5

It was a typical Millman-like performance from the crowd favourite. Long rallies, break points saved, break point opportunities squandered and plenty of drama in between. Millman saved seven BPs in the first set, eventually winning a tight tiebreaker in front of a raucous Court 3. He then consolidated in the second before letting the third slip 6-1 in uncharacteristic fashion.

By the fourth set, the pair had been on court for three hours; the young Frenchman -- fresh off a tournament win in Auckland -- double faulted while serving to stay in the match at 5-6 to gift Millman a fourth straight second round berth at Melbourne Park.

"He's super talented and we're going to see a lot more of him," Millman said of Humbert. "I said that to him at the net [after the match]. He was super impressive in Auckland - you just have to see the guys he beat there, and to take out the title, which is a tough thing to do, I knew it was going to be a tough match and a tricky encounter."

Alexei Popyrin (AUS) def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (28)
6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1, ret.

It's probably not the result either man was looking for. Popyrin has now notched two Melbourne Arena wins over seeded opponents - who retired hurt. Last year it was Dominic Thiem in the second round who pulled the pin early, and this time it was Tsonga who couldn't continue after going two sets to one down. Take nothing away from the 20-year-old Popyrin, who was in control during service games and flashy with his forehand.

He sets up a meeting with either wildcard Hugo Gaston or Jaume Munar in the second round. And after speaking so highly of the Melbourne Arena crowd, let's just say it's likely to be staged there as well.

Marc Polmans (AUS) def. Mikhail Kukushkin
6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(10), 6-4

Rocking his trademark legionnaires hat, 22-year-old Aussie wildcard Marc Polmans produced perhaps his greatest performance on the tennis court, battling past veteran Mikhail Kukushkin in a highly entertaining five set match out on Court 7.

Polmans clinched the first two sets before dropping the third. When he lost the fourth in a tie-breaker it looked as if all of the momentum was swinging Kukushkin's way. But Polmans managed to steady and come out on top in a see-sawing deciding set to earn his place in the second round. Polmans will play Serbian 24th seed Dusan Lajovic.

Jordan Thompson (AUS) def. Alexander Bublik
6-4, 6-3, 6-2

Australian Open regular Jordan Thompson was in no mood for mucking about in his first round match against Kazakh Alexander Bublik. The 25-year-old Aussie was always in control on Court 8, eventually winning in straight sets to book his ticket in the second round. The question is, can he reach the third round at Melbourne Park for the first time in his career when he faces Italian 12th seed Fabio Fognini on Thursday? He has a golden opportunity as Fognini battled out a five-set epic with American Reilly Opelka.

Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) def. Anastasija Sevastova (31)
6-1, 6-1

To say Ajla has had it tough in the lead-up events would be a bit of an understatement, but it's clear coming up against the big names early in the season (think top 5 seeds Karolina Pliskova in Adelaide and Simona Halep in Brisbane) has steeled her for her home Slam. Tomljanovic dropped just two games on Margaret Court Arena as she breezed into the second round at the expense of the seeded Anastasija Sevastova.

Alex Bolt (AUS) def. Albert Ramos-Viñolas
7-6(1), 1-6, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4

This was a huge win for Bolt, who you'll remember from a surprise third round run last year. Importantly, he's on his way to defending those rankings points, and considering he was fighting cramps late in this clash, this five-set victory was engrossing from start to finish. The bad news? He faces No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem in the second round.

Arina Rodionova (AUS) def. Kateryna Bondarenko
3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0

What a result for the wildcard Rodionova! Trailing one set and down 3-5 in the second, the Aussie fought back to level the set before taking it in a tiebreaker. Her opponent was visibly frustrated at times, and Rodionova took full advantage in the third, going up a double break as quick as a flash before producing the bagel to advance to the second round, where she'll face 9th seed Kiki Bertens.

Priscilla Hon (AUS) def. Kateryna Kozlova
6-3, 6-4

Priscilla Hon was not at all fazed by a late, last-minute move to Melbourne Arena, accounting for Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova in straight sets in front of a small but lively crowd. Hon will face 17th seed Angelique Kerber in the second round.

Jannik Sinner def. Max Purcell (AUS)
6-7, 2-6, 6-4

Yesterday's rain meant Sinner and Purcell's match was delayed until Tuesday morning with the score at 7-6, 6-2, 4-4*, in favour of the Italian. They appeared, strangely, second on Court 7 despite their match having been interrupted, and were out there for all of five minutes as Sinner finished the match in straight sets.

Aljaž Bedene def. James Duckworth (AUS)
6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4

Andrey Rublev (17) def. Chris O'Connell (AUS)
6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 7-6(5)