Quote of the Day: Stefanos Tsitsipas' first-round win "was a ripsnorter, mate!"

WATCH: Stefanos Tsitsipas gives the fans in Melbourne a shoutout during his press conference—after delighting them with a bit of Aussie slang on Margaret Court Arena

World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his red-hot start to the year, needing just over two hours to take down Quentin Halys in straight sets and move into the Australian Open second round.

While he might have had his hands full at the end as No. 61 Halys forced a third-set tiebreaker in an attempt to extend the contest, Tsitsipas eventually closed out the victory with a gnarly 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (6) scoreline.

But the real ace came after the match, as Tsitsipas treated fans on Margaret Court Arena to a delightful show of his favorite Aussie lingo.

Q: You played some fantastic tennis… and then it just wobbled a bit. Tell us what happened.

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: “Yeah, crikey! That was a ripsnorter, mate! (laughter) I’m really glad to be playing flat out… like a lizard in the water! (laughter)

“I’m going full in, I’m committing [to the lingo]. I’m practicing. I’m happy I got the biscuit in the end, so that was great.”

Tsitsipas improved to 5-0 on the season, after winning all four of his singles matches at the inaugural mixed United Cup event to lead Greece to the semifinals. He picked up right where he left off on Monday evening, and didn’t face a break point in his first two sets against Halys.

Should Tsitsipas, a three-time AO semifinalist, get through the fortnight and lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, he’ll leave Straya with more than just a maiden Grand Slam title—he would become the new ATP World No. 1, overtaking an injured Carlos Alcaraz.

But one thing is defo clear: The Aussie lingo is here to stay, Tsitsipas confirmed, to the delight of the crowd and fans on social media.

“I’m committing to the slang,” he said with a grin. “I don’t do that often! I don’t commit to that as often when I travel, but when I’m here I’m really liking my time playing tennis, getting to see some of my cousins, and feeling at home here.”

Up next for the Greek is home hope Rinky Hijikata, a 21-year-old true blue wild card who fought back from two sets down against German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann to triumph 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in an epic tournament debut.