Former champion Stan Wawrinka and the power-serving Milos Raonic remain on track for an explosive early-round Australian Open showdown after impressive starts to their campaigns.
Wawrinka, the 17th seed and 2014 Open winner, underlined his title credentials with a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 6-4 win over Portugal’s Pedro Sousa.
Switzerland’s three-time major champion fired down seven aces and did not face a single break point all match in storming into the second round in one hour and 36 minutes on Monday.
He will face either Australian wildcard Marc Polmans or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics next before potentially meeting 14th seed Raonic in a round-three showdown.
Raonic was equally untroubled in his opener, crunching 17 aces in his 6-3 6-3 6-2 win over Argentine Federico Coria.
The former Wimbledon runner-up will play either Australian John Millman or Frenchman Corentin Moutet on Wednesday for a place in the last 32.