Bernard Tomic has snared his first main draw tour-level victory since 2021.
For the past few years, the Australian tennis player has been grinding away on the Challenger and ITF Tours, and it appears to be paying off.
Instead of targeting Wimbledon qualifying, the 32-year-old headed to Spain to compete in an ATP 250 event in Mallorca.
He defeated a pair of top-100 players – Jesper De Jong and Aleksandar Kovacevic – in qualifying to book his place in the main draw.
MORE: Nick Kyrgios reacts after losing Wimbledon commentary gig
Tomic then took down fellow countryman Rinky Hijikata in the first round overnight (AEST).
The 3-6 7-5 6-2 result marked his first ATP main draw win since the 2021 Australian Open.
He will now take on No. 7 seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the Round of 16.
Tomic was a career-high world No. 17 in 2016.
His ranking fluctuated in the years following, sinking as low as 825 in 2022.
The Australian is currently listed as the world No. 248 but is set to rise to at least 214 next, according to the live rankings.
Victory over Agut on Thursday (AEST) would see him surge even higher.