Thanasi Kokinakis was a rare shining light for Australia's men after a disastrous 24 hours as they defeated Benoit Paire at the Adelaide International 2 on Tuesday.
After Nick Kyrgios tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, Bernard Tomic claimed he still had the virus after losing a qualifier and, among a multitude of other disappointing results, Kokinakis finished 6-4 on world number 47 Won 6-0.
The win over the Frenchman is another step in the right direction for Kokinakis, who lost to number 19 Gael Monfils of France before reaching the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 1 last week.
He said, “Every year brings new challenges. "I think it's probably the best preparation for a year.
"Who knows what the rest of the year is going to be like. I couldn't be happier with the way it started."
The win, the world number 145, was one of a few positives for Australia on Tuesday, with American Steve Johnson proving too strong for Alex Bolt as he registered a 6-4, 6-4 win in Adelaide.
At the Sydney Tennis Classic, meanwhile, the scenario was even more gloomy for the Australians.
Spain's Pedro MartÃnez beat Alexei Popirin 6-4 6-4 after the Australian lost in the opening game of the match at the Cannes Roswell Arena.
Popirin recovered to break Martinez in the second set, but as soon as he did so, the Spaniard clicked into gear and broke twice to wrap up the win.
The defeat came after Poprin's second-round exit to Dutchman Talon Grixpour in last week's Melbourne summer set in and the defeat did not bode well for the 22-year-old's hopes of improving his second-round exit from last year.
Poprin's fellow Sydneysider Christopher O'Connell also tasted defeat in his home schedule on Tuesday as he faced Sebastian Baez before falling 6-2 1-6 7-6 (7-4) after two hours of play. fought bravely.
The Argentines charged for an early lead before O'Connell played a nearly flawless second set to return to level terms.
However, Baez won in the third-set tiebreak as O'Connell's service game left him when it mattered most with local dropping points on three separate occasions.