Rafael Nadal tipped fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz as a future champion on Tuesday after the 17-year-old comfortably won his debut Grand Slam clash at Melbourne Park.
Alcaraz has been making waves since his ATP Tour debut last year and burnished his credentials by upsetting top seed David Goffin in the Great Ocean Road Open last week.
He swept past fellow qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the Australian Open first round and 20-time Grand Slam winner Nadal has high hopes for him.
"He has intensity, he has the passion. I mean, he has the shots," said Nadal, who practised with Alcaraz last week.
"He has all the ingredients to become a great champion. It's all about how much you are able to improve during the next couple of years."
Alcaraz was barely inside the top 500 at the start of last season, but has raced to 141 and is charging towards the top 100.
World number two Nadal also had high praise for fast-improving 19-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, who in November became the youngest ATP champion in 12 years when he won in Sofia.
Sinner, ranked 32, backed up his breakthrough by clinching the Great Ocean Road title and was unlucky to crash Monday over five tough sets to world number 11 Denis Shapovalov.
"Honestly, he's a great guy, he's humble, he's relaxed, he's a good worker," Nadal said of Sinner, who he also practised with in Australia.
"The same thing that I talk about Alcaraz - he's already there fighting for important things, winning a title just the previous week.
"I mean, I am sure he's going to finish this year in a high position of the ranking. I don't have a doubt of that."
Results from day two of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Tuesday:
Men's singles
First round
Andrey Rublev (RUS x7) bt Yannick Hanfmann (GER) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
Thiago Monteiro (BRA) bt Andrej Martin (SVK) 7-6 (8/6), 6-1, 6-2
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Li Tu (AUS) 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4
Lorenzo Sonego (ITA x31) bt Sam Querrey (USA) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4
Casper Ruud (NOR x24) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-3, 6-3, 2-1 ret
Tommy Paul (USA) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 6-4, 7-6 (7/0), 6-4
Christopher O'Connell (AUS) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Radu Albot (MDA) bt Roberto Bautista (ESP x12) 6-7 (1/7), 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5)
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) bt David Goffin (BEL x13) 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
Lloyd Harris (RSA) bt Mikael Torpegaard (DEN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Marco Cecchinato (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Borna Coric (CRO x22) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
Filip Krajinovic (SRB x28) bt Robin Haase (NED) 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Pablo Andujar (ESP) bt Quentin Halys (FRA) 6-4, 7-5, 7-5
Roberto Carballes (ESP) bt Attila Balazs (HUN) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Daniil Medvedev (RUS x4) bt Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x5) bt Gilles Simon (FRA) 6-1, 6-2, 6-1
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) bt Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) 6-4, 6-1, 6-1
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) bt Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Mikael Ymer (SWE) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL x26) 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Karen Khachanov (RUS x19) bt Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) bt Sumit Nagal (IND) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Tomas Machac (CZE) bt Mario Vilella (ESP) 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-0, 3-0 ret
Matteo Berrettini (ITA x9) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA) 7-6 (11/9), 7-5, 6-3
Fabio Fognini (ITA x16) bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
Salvatore Caruso (ITA) bt Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (URU) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Alex De Minaur (AUS x21) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 7-5, 6-1, 6-1
Cameron Norrie (GBR) bt Daniel Evans (GBR x30) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Roman Safiullin (RUS) bt Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Michael Mmoh (USA) bt Viktor Troicki (SRB) 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
Women's singles
First round
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x1) bt Danka Kovinic (MNE) 6-0, 6-0
Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) bt Saisai Zheng (CHN) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS x29) bt Martina Trevisan (ITA) 6-3, 6-4
Anett Kontaveit (EST x21) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 7-5, 6-2
Heather Watson (GBR) bt Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3)
Shelby Rogers (USA) bt Francesca Jones (GBR) 6-4, 6-1
Olga Danilovic (SRB) bt Petra Martic (CRO x16) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Belinda Bencic (SUI x11) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) bt Barbora Strycova (CZE) 6-2, 6-2
Lin Zhu (CHN) bt Whitney Osuigwe (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Elise Mertens (BEL x18) bt Leylah Fernandez (CAN) 6-1, 6-3
Karolina Muchova (CZE x25) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 7-5, 6-2
Mona Barthel (GER) bt Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Danielle Collins (USA) bt Ana Bogdan (ROU) 6-3, 6-1
Karolina Pliskova (CZE x6) bt Jasmine Paolini (ITA) 6-0, 6-2
Sofia Kenin (USA x4) bt Maddison Inglis (AUS) 7-5, 6-4
Kaia Kanepi (EST) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-3, 6-1
Nadia Podoroska (ARG) bt Christina McHale (USA) 6-4, 6-4
Donna Vekic (CRO x28) bt Wang Yafan (CHN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jennifer Brady (USA x22) bt Aliona Bolsova (ESP) 6-1, 6-3
Madison Brengle (USA) bt Arina Rodionova (AUS) 6-1, 6-2
Mayar Sherif (EGY) bt Chloe Paquet (FRA) 7-5, 7-5
Kaja Juvan (SLO) bt Johanna Konta (GBR x13) 4-6, 2-0 ret
Jessica Pegula (USA) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR x12) 7-5, 6-4
Samantha Stosur (AUS) bt Destanee Aiava (AUS) 6-4, 6-4
Nao Hibino (JPN) bt Astra Sharma (AUS) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) bt Maria Sakkari (GRE x20) 6-2, 0-6, 6-3
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ x26) bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) bt Clara Burel (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Coco Gauff (USA) bt Jil Teichmann (SUI) 6-3, 6-2
Elina Svitolina (UKR x5) bt Marie Bouzkova (CZE) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Garbine Muguruza (ESP x14) bt Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) 6-4, 6-0
Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) bt Paula Badosa (ESP) 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-5
Ann Li (USA) bt Shuai Zhang (CHN x31) 6-2, 6-0
Daria Gavrilova (AUS) bt Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) 6-1, 7-5