A lengthy rain delay was not enough to stop the roar of the home crowd supporting Australia’s Omar Jasika as he braced the power of Hugo Gaston.

The 27-year-old wildcard posed a tough challenge for his French rival as his threatening serve and dynamic style sparked a frenzy in the stands.

Having fallen short 6-2 in the first set, Jasika brushed off six missed break-point opportunities to gain a small advantage over Gaston before play was called off.

READ MORE: The ‘real’ AO story that Kyrgios antics are obscuring

READ MORE: Legend tips Sinner to cop monster doping ban

READ MORE: Roddick issues AO challenge to ‘influencer’ Kyrgios

Six hours later, the spirits of the once frustrated crowd lifted as Jasika returned to the court to deliver a promising sense of hope for an Australian victory.

Jasika smashed 93 per cent of his serves to put Gaston on notice as he celebrated the small win of taking out the second set.

“That’s quite extraordinary,” David Taylor said in commentary for Nine.

“He’s done really well there – it is fantastic out here, wow.”

But his comeback plan was quickly derailed by Gaston, who broke Jasika early and shifted the momentum of the game back in his favour.

Gaston nailed 55 points despite making 33 unforced errors to power in front of the local favourite.

The Australian went down 6-2 in the third set and bounced back well in the fourth, but was unable to regain control of the match.

A rapid onslaught of break points marked the end of Jasika’s Australian Open campaign, falling short of victory 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Gaston will meet the winner of Jiri Lehecka and Li Tu in the second round.