Destanee Aiava, James McCabe, Tristan Schoolkate and Ajla Tomljanovic all progress to second round with rousing wins

They might be tennis has-beens, nobodies or late-bloomers, but there is not an “average Joe” among them. The unheralded Australians have given local fans reason for optimism this week as the grand slam at Melbourne Park gets going.

While long runs are expected from Australia’s three seeds Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson, many of the nine local successes on Monday exist on the periphery of the elite tour.