The Tasmanian’s finest run at the tournament since the men’s singles commenced in 2015 when he made the final eight was tempered against a rampant South African.

No.1 seed Lloyd Harris bundled out the wildcard on Thursday in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 in just 44 minutes.

But the women’s favourite did not fare so well earlier.

German Laura Siegemund was just overpowered amid a fluctuating three-set contest against top Kazakh prospect Elena Rybakina.

The journeywoman bowed out 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 that left the main draw wide open.

The shock exit continued a series of surprising upsets in the opening four days.

Reigning champions Marc Polmans and Gabriella Taylor were both eliminated in the first round – a first for the Launceston International.

But Harris lived up to his top billing against the state’s lingering only hope.

“It’s always a little bit tough when you’re playing in front of a guy that has the crowd cheering for him,” he said.

“Every mistake I made they were clapping. It’s not always easy, but I stayed focused.”

The world No.111 put on a clinical display after both players held serve at 3-3.

He ended up winning nine of the last 12 games, breaking Bourchier three times.

But Harris was quick to pay tribute to his rival, stating that the Hobart 23-year-old’s impressive strokeplay so far this year was the catalyst to performing on centre court.

“He’s been playing well,” Harris said of Bourchier. 

“I saw he had a couple of good results playing here in Australia at the start of the year, so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“He’s got a big serve, a big forehand, so he’s very dangerous, but I think I came out and just stayed solid throughout the match.

“I played one or two clinical points early on and that kind of set the tone.”

Harris grew up playing the game near the winds off the bay, providing the perfect tonic to better handle the ongoing tricky conditions.

Players throughout the day were seen having trouble settling on their ball tosses.

“It’s pretty windy out here,” the 21-year-old said.

“They’re tough conditions, it’s not so easy, but I have enjoyed the tournament. Cape Town gets pretty windy, so that’s helped quite a bit.”

The women’s singles top-seed was put right on the back foot from the start

Siegemund dropped serve just the once in the first set that proved costly and looked to be in further trouble early in the second set.

Rybakina was up 2-1 on serve after breaking in the first game and on track for a straight sets victory.

That’s when the entourage for the 30-year-old from Stuttgart had to be warned for coaching in the stands.

But that seemed to spark Siegmund, who went on to win the next three games to momentarily head off the challenge from her rival 11 years her junior.

“Yeah, I won the first set,” Rybakina said. “But after I lost my serve, something happened – I don’t know.

“Maybe it was the wind – I just lost my concentration. So it was tough to try and come back for that third set.”

But Rybakina did turn around her fortunes, breaking Siegmund’s serve early in the second game.

The Moscow-born teenager pushed out to a 5-1 lead in the third before Siegmund refused to surrender and win the next two games.

Rybakina required four match points, but she sealed a round-of-16 victory.

The 194cm amazon said she had faith that she could overcome the No.1 seed.

“It wasn’t the first time I have, but I also knew that everyone here is so good,” Rybakina said.

“So I just tried to remember what I needed to do [to win] and I did it.”

Eight Australians are set to continue towards Friday’s quarter-finals stage that also includes four in the men’s and women’s singles.

Both Luke Saville and Max Purcell proved to be in a rare vein of form on Thursday.

They advanced in the men’s draw with comfortable straight-set singles victories.

Saville, the tournament’s 11th seed and a two-time junior grand slam winner, won through 6-4, 6-2 over Japan’s Go Soeda.

Purcell fought harder to claim Soeda’s countryman Yusuke Takahashi, 6-4, 6-4.

The Sydneysiders teamed up next to win their doubles clash 6-4, 6-3 against Frenchmen Stephane Robert and Tristan Lamasine.

Australian pair Abbie Myers and Arina Rodionova had tighter three-set wins in the women’s singles.

Myers got the victory but only after fifth-seed Spaniard Paula Badosa Gibert retired, trailing 4-6, 6-3, 3-0.

Rodionova had to come back from a poor second set to beat Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez 6-3, 1-6, 7-5.

But like Saville and Purcell, the Russian-born Rodionova also won her doubles match.

She took compatriot Ellen Perez through to the quarters with her, the pair winning 3-6, 6-4, 12-10 against Argentinian Nadia Podoroska and China’s Xiyu Wang.

Wildcard duo Maverick Banes and Blake Ellis won a last-set nailbiter against American John Paul Fruttero and Spaniard David Perez Sanz 4-6, 6-3, 14-12.

Third seeds Matt Reid, who lives in Sydney, joined Dutchman Sem Verbeek to defeat Swede Andre Goransson and Finn Harri Heliovaara 6-4, 3-6, 10-8.

Play next starts at 11am.