All you have to do is follow the crowds and once you catch a glimpse of the plucky Australian with a long, flowing mullet, you know you're in the right place.

Ranked No.236 in the world, Sweeny isn't exactly a big name in Australian tennis, but that did not stop the Canberra fans from flocking to centre court to watch him play Russian Pavel Kotov in the opening round of the region's biggest tournament.

It's not hard to understand why so many threw their support behind the unheralded talent.

Sweeny boasts all the qualities Australian fans have fallen in love with over the years. An undersized fighter with a never-say-die attitude who went about his business without any showboating or wild theatrics. And of course, the mullet.

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It's a hairstyle that turned plenty of heads on Monday, but not everybody is a fan.

"I've had the mullet for the last couple of years," Sweeny said. "It's a bit more tame than last year's mullet actually.

"Dad's laid-back and doesn't care too much about it but mum hated it. She still doesn't like it to this day."

The 21-year-old made a winning start to his Canberra International campaign on Monday with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over the fifth seed.

It was the biggest win of Sweeny's career and he's confident it will kick start a successful year.

"There's always a bit of angst at the start of the year," he said. "You're waiting to see if you got pre-season right. I've started working with my dad as my coach so there were some nerves there for sure, particularly when you're not match fit.

"I was really happy to have a clean performance. That's really tough to do after having a month off so it was great to have a good start to the year."

Sweeny was born in Penrith and grew up on the Sunshine Coast after the family moved there when he was three. He has played tennis since he was in nappies and quickly emerged as a talented junior.

The youngster made his senior debut in 2018 and has steadily toiled away on the ITF and ATP Challenger circuits over the past five years.

While he is yet to play in the main draw for singles at a grand slam, Sweeny progressed to the third round of the men's doubles at last year's Australian Open.

Sweeny has made a significant change to his team for 2023, with his father coming on board as coach.

It's a relationship that was formed in his earliest years as a player and the emerging talent is confident will be the basis for a successful season.

"It's been a great change," Sweeney said. "He's never played tennis before or coached anyone besides my brother but I have a lot of trust in his ability and he knows my game so well.

"Dad has a lot of belief in my game and that gives me belief. He keeps it super simple and has amazing passion for tennis.

"It's an interesting father-son dynamic. Sometimes you want to argue back and think he's not right but I really do trust in his ability as a coach. I think we're going to work well together."

Sweeny will return to the court on Wednesday for a second round match against the winner of Marc Polmans and qualifier Mitchell Krueger, to be played Tuesday.

It's another step in his preparations for Australian Open qualifying, where he hopes to make the main draw for the first time.

Should he fall short, the youngster will double down in his quest to climb into the top 100 before the end of the year.

Performances like Monday's give him the confidence such a goal is within reach.

"You need to do you apprenticeship to build that confidence," he said. "I've done well on the Futures tour, now it's time to translate that to the Challenger tour. I've think I've got the level to make leaps and bounds this year.

"The top 100 is a goal that I have to really challenge myself but it is reachable. In saying that, I don't like to set too many number goals. I'm trying to improve day in, day out and work as hard as I can. I'm trying to make me and dad work well and implement what he's been telling me."

Sweeny's victory came on an eventful day of play at the Canberra International.

British talent Liam Broady qualified for the main draw with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Andrea Pelligrino, while eight-seed Federico Delbonis was upset in the first round by German Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

In the women's event, Australian Destanee Aiava fell short of a place in the main draw after losing to Russian Anastasia Gasanova in a hard-fought affair, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. Brit Katie Boulter had a much easier time on court, dismantling Korea's Han Na-Lae 6-0, 6-1 in their round-one match.

While he'd love a deep run in Canberra, Sweeny recognises a host of experienced players are present this week.

Win or lose, this could be the last time the region's tennis fans have the chance to see his trademark hairstyle in person.

"I might be shaving it off after the Australian Open," he said. "I've had it for so long, I'll keep it for the Australian Open but it might be time to shave it."

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