There's no such thing as a meaningless match for Alex de Minaur.
The Australian registered his first-ever win over 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal at the United Cup, downing the Spaniard 3-6 6-1 7-5.
While not on the biggest stage - the clash was part of a dead tie with Great Britain already progressing to the next round of the competition - it's still one of the best of the 23-year-old's career.
Until Monday night in Sydney, de Minaur had never beaten a player ranked No.1 or No.2 in the world - now he has beaten arguably the best of all-time.
"It's a big win for myself, one that I really needed. I'm gonna cherish and use, take all the confidence from this and be able to hopefully take it to have a good Aussie summer," de Minaur said.
World No.2 Nadal started inauspiciously, going down an early break, only to reel off four straight games to snatch the first set.
That momentum continued with another break to start the second set, only for the Sydney local to produce some of his own trademark grit and storm through the next six games.
The decider was a mixed bag - de Minaur's foot speed and ability to rip out winners from defensive positions against the brute force and experience of Nadal.
The pair traded breaks midway through the set before an error-strewn 11th game from Nadal saw de Minaur serve for the match.
There'd be no more drama as the Australian served it out to love to claim the win.
"I did basically what I've always wanted to do, serve cannons and not have to play too many long points when you serve it out," de Minaur said.
"I was very happy with myself there.
After a patchy back half of 2022 and a surprise loss to Great Britain's Cameron Norrie in Spain's opening tie, there have been questions being raised about Nadal's form and motivation as he heads into the twilight of his career.
Since pulling out of the Wimbledon semi-final of 2022 against Nick Kyrgios he has had four wins on tour from 11 starts.
"I need hours on court; I need battles like this," the Melbourne Park defending champion said.
"I have two weeks before the Australian Open starts. I can't say that the situation is ideal, but at the same time, I can't say that it's very negative, because for moments, I was playing good.
"I think that two matches is gonna help me. I need to win a couple of matches."
De Minaur finishes the tournament with a 1-1 singles record after also falling to Norrie.
In the second match of the night, Nuria Parrizas Dias was too good for Maddison Inglis, her 6-1 6-3 win locking up the tie at a rubber apiece.
