The shock exit of Alex de Minaur has left Australian men's tennis relying on the slim shoulders of Alexei Popyrin to carry the load as the last man standing at Roland Garros - with the No.25 seed saluting his new coach Wayne Ferreira as the secret weapon in his Paris rejuvenation.
De Minaur's defeat to Alexander Bublik was a great example of just how unpredictable the clay-court slam can be, with Popyrin accepting that every clash in the third round is likely to be just as taxing and hard to call.
But the fact remains that opportunity knocks for the coming man of Australian tennis. He faces Portuguese Nuno Borges in the last 32, a solidly impressive performer ranked No.41, some 16 places below Popyrin.
