Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have stormed into the quarterfinals of the men's doubles draw at the Australian Open in front of another raucous crowd at Melbourne Park.
The Australians took down 15th seeds Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 inside a packed Kia Arena.
At one set apiece, the deciding third was on a knife's edge until the Australian duo got a break of serve in the fifth game.
Later at 5-4, Kyrgios served for the match, before Kokkinakis iced the victory with a brilliant backhand volley at the net that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
The pair took to the court in the wake of Kyrgios's claim he and Kokkinakis were threatened with violence following their victory over number one seeds Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić on Friday.
After Sunday's win, Kyrgios paid tribute to Behar and Escobar, who are an established doubles pairing.
"Today, these guys were tough, they served well," Kyrgios said in their courtside interview.
"It was incredibly tough to get any rhythm on their return."
The crowd were at full voice and they enjoyed not just the quality of the tennis — Kyrgios and Kokkinakis combined to hit 23 aces — but also the entertainment provided.
Kokkinakis appreciated the crowd support.
"The atmosphere is unbelievable," he said.
"You can't not get up for matches like this."
What impact the crowd had on Behar and Escobar remains to be seen, but the conduct of spectators inside Kia Arena on Friday upset Pavić and Mektić.
"Obviously they cheer for Aussies," Pavić said.
"It wouldn't hurt them to show some respect to all opponents, to other players.
"We saw yesterday also with [Daniil] Medvedev how it was. So, that's how they are here. We're used to that.
"But like I said, it wouldn't hurt them to show some respect."
Kyrgios and Kokkinakis play sixth seeds Tim Pütz and Michael Venus in the quarterfinals.
