Australian Open 2020 live updates - Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Salvatore Caruso in three sets

Tsitsipas has been tipped as a potential winner in Melbourne should Novak Djokovic not retain his crown, and the winner of the ATP Finals showed his class with a dominant opening set, subjecting his hapless opponent to a bagel.

It was hardly more exacting in the second set as Tsitsipas only dropped two games, allowing him to open up a two-lead set in only an hour.

Caruso’s efforts were hampered by nasty looking cuts to his fingers which required strapping and attention from the Italian between games, as he clearly struggled with the pain. But he gamely fought on.

Tsitsipas had three match points on Caruso's serve at 5-2 but could not convert any of them. He finally secured victory on his own serve with an ace down the middle of the court after an hour and 45 minutes.

The Greek star was roared on by his legions of supporters in Melbourne and said he enjoyed the experience.

“Today I tried to stay calm, that was something that I really had in the back of my head, trying to stay calm – be aggressive, on and off the court,” Tsitsipas said on Eurosport.

“So I would describe this match as very stable. Throughout the whole match I was very focused, I was in the zone, as you say, and I’m very happy with my first set. It was perfect. Almost perfect. I don’t remember the last time I won 6-0. It was a good quality of tennis.

“Also I think, let’s not forget the people here. The people that bring the energy, I’ll give it to them – you should be interviewing them, not me!”

The 21-year-old will next play the winner of the match between Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber and American Marcos Giron.