A potentially spicy clash between Australians Jordan Thompson and Bernard Tomic has been averted at the Delray Beach Open with the pair experiencing differing fortunes at the ATP event.
Thompson enjoyed a first round 7-5 6-1 win over Germany's Marcel Granollers at the Florida tournament while Tomic went down to Italian veteran Andreas Seppi 6-4 7-5.
World No.68 Thompson will now take on Seppi on Wednesday for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Thompson played doubles with John Peers in Australia's recent Davis Cup qualifying tie victory against Bosnia Herzegovina.
A regular in the squad, he is seen as being very much in Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt's camp, often playing doubles with and being watched on by the former world No.1.
Tomic, is very much outside that group, having had a major falling out with Hewitt and being told he'd never play in the competition while the two-time grand slam champion was in charge.
It's the second time in consecutive weeks the pair were close to a match-up, Tomic's loss to John Isner in the round of 16 at New York preventing that from happening.
Isner went on the beat Thompson in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile. defending champion Frances Tiafoe squandered an early lead, losing to Britain's Daniel Evans in the first round 3-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-5.
Tiafoe, seeded No. 3, lost his third match in a row. He won the first five games and was up 4-1 in the third set but couldn't close out the match against Evans, ranked No.148.
Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, playing his first match after missing four months with a right knee injury, swept Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3 7-5.
Second seed John Isner eliminated Peter Polansky 6-3 7-6 (7-4) and No. 4 Steve Johnson beat Jason Jung 7-6 (7-3) 6-4.
Nick Kyrgios is scheduled to play Radu Albot in a second round match on Thursday.
