There's tough tasks ahead of Taliqua Clancy and Patty Mills with just three matches separating themselves and Olympic gold in women's beach volleyball and men's basketball in Paris, with quarterfinals beginning Tuesday evening (AEST).
The Boomers line up against Serbia at 10:30pm to lock in a potential clash with the victor of a star-studded USA or Brazil - who'll present a tough task should they upset the four-time running Olympic champions on Thursday morning.
Mills produced his best of recent performances for the national side when Australia last met Serbia for a pre-tournament warm up match in Abu Dhabi last month.
The 35-year-old knocked down 28 points in a vintage display, leading to a 84-73 Boomers victory over the FIBA-ranked world no.4 side - led by three-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokić.
In his fifth Olympic campaign, the veteran has climbed up the list of stat leaders at the Games.
In the Boomers' second match against France, Mills jumped to sixth in the all-time scoring list before leapfrogging Brazilian basketball great Wlamir Marques into fifth spot with his 13 points against Greece in their final group game.
Mills also sits in the top five for men's steals and three-pointers.
Serbia took bragging rights when the two sides last crossed paths at an Olympics in the semifinals at Rio after the Boomers claimed a win earlier during the group phase.
On their way to bronze in Tokyo, Australia fell 19-points short of the gold-bound USA in the semis.
In the beach volleyball, Clancy and teammate Mariafe Artacho del Solar enter the pointy stage of the bracket, with the route to the gold medal match stacked with top-ranking talent.
Already sending FIVB world no.3 Bárbara Seixas de Freitas and Carolina Solberg Salgado home in straight sets during the round of sixteen, world no.15 Swiss duo Esmée Böbner and Zoé Vergé-Dépré await them in the quarters on Wednesday morning.
A win will set up a semifinal meeting with either Latvia's Tīna Graudiņa and Anastasija Kravčenoka or Brazil's Duda Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos, ranked no.6 and no.1 in the world respectively.
Highest honours still wait the Australian pair after consecutive silvers in Tokyo and 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Speaking after their round of 16 win, Clancy said they are keen to keep building on their near-flawless run, only bestest by world no.2 USA pair Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth in the pool stage.
"I think we took another good step forward, which is what we want to do," she said, via olympics.com.au.
"We just want to keep improving every match, and we're happy with what we were able to put out there."
Australia last claimed beach volleyball gold in 2000.
Clancy, a Wulli Wulli-Goreng Goreng woman, is the first Indigenous person to represent Australia in the sport at an Olympics, and was the 10th Indigenous woman across all sport to medal three years ago.
In Paris, she's found a way to sport the Aboriginal flag on the court.
On Tuesday morning, Wakka Wakka sprinter Calab Law finished his debut run in the men's 200m 0.55 of a second behind the pace in seventh.
He'll return in the repechage rounds at 10:30pm (AEST) tonight.
Brooke Peris and Mariah Williams' campaign is over after the Hockeyroos fell short in a 3-2 loss to China on Monday night, and not without controversy.
What proved to be China's winner - a third quarter penalty corner goal, was sent for video review for assessment on whether an initial rebound from the Australian keeper glanced an attacking player's leg before a second successful shot.
The decision saw a 2-1 comeback lead extended, enough to end the Hockeyroos' campaign despite scoring the final goal of the match later on.
Conor Nicholas' mixed dinghy sailing schedule continues with qualification to the medal race interrupted with races abandoned in recent days.
TONIGHT (AEST)
Calab Law, 200m men's sprint repechage round - 08:30pm.
Boombers v Serbia, Men's basketball quarterfinal - 10:30pm.
Clancy and Artacho del Solar v Esmée Böbner and Zoé Vergé-Dépré, Women's beach volleyball quarterfinal - 5:00am.
