Melbourne Arena blew a fuse, but Nick Kyrgios didn't, as he eased to a surprisingly drama-free first-round win at the Australian Open.
Kyrgios was mostly measured in downing Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-2 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-1).
Even a blackout on court didn't seem to perturb the often combustible Australian.
At 3-4 in the second set, Melbourne Arena fell into darkness, forcing a short break, but the issue was resolved quickly enough and didn't appear to disturb the momentum of the match.
While not always playing lights-out tennis, Kyrgios produced typical flourishes in the victory.
In the third game of the third set, he hit a lob between his legs that scored him the point, trying two 'tweeners' on the next one, only to draw a blank.
The 23rd seed got a solid workout from the world No.53, but was never broken and eased to victory in 2h 13m.
Despite appearing at ease during the match, Kyrgios admitted being edgy as he took to the court, particularly given the focus on the Australian bushfires and his involvement in raising funds, saying he was playing "for a lot of people".
"Just with everything going on, walking out there, I was a lot more nervous than I have been in previous matches," he said. "Australian Open, I usually feel pretty comfortable.
"The crowd was unbelievable and I got comfortable quite early in the match. I played an unbelievable first set, which helped.
"I thought the pressure kind of eased off after I won that first set, but he didn't go away."
The crowd offered generous support and applause for Kyrgios, and the good vibe continued after the match, when he said he'd love to go to the Tokyo Olympics and represent Australia in July.
Earlier, Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said he'd like to have him there - four years after a bitter AOC fall out with Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic that saw the pair left out of the Rio Games.
"I wanted to play just as much the last time the Olympics were around," Kyrgios said. "I feel like if I'm there, I've got a genuine shot at winning a medal, one.
"I'd love to be there with other the athletes representing Australia, two."
Kyrgios will now play Gilles Simon in the second round, after the Frenchman beat Pablo Cuevas 6-1 6-3 6-3.
A spicy fourth-round encounter looms with world No.1 Rafael Nadal, should both players register two more wins.
AAP
