Traralgon VIC 3844, Australia, 29 October 2014 | David Packman

It’s a long way from New York to Traralgon for up-and-coming Aussie Omar Jasika, who continued his impressive development by notching his first-ever win at ATP Challenger level.

The 17-year-old reigning US Open Junior singles champion scored a 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory over Liang-Chi Huang on Tuesday at the Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger.

Windy and wet conditions in Traralgon made the going tough, but that seemed to suit the gritty little lefty, whose all-round “hard and fast” game – along with a supreme work ethic – has been praised by many.

“It feels so good,” the wildcard said of his maiden win. “It was difficult for both players today but I just stuck in there and tried to make every ball.”

Such a statement seems to underscore the modus operandi of the young Melburnian.

Only last month, Jasika tasted success after an unbeaten run of 11 matches saw him lift the US Open Junior trophies in both singles and doubles – the first player in 28 years to achieve such a feat.

Shortly after his triumph in New York, Jasika made his ATP World Tour debut, the recipient of a wildcard at the Malaysian Open. Despite losing in the opening round, he pushed the highly experienced American Rajeev Ram to the limit and gained some invaluable experience.

Earlier this month, Jasika also made the final of the Australian Pro Tour event in Cairns.

Asked if his recent success had made a difference to his outlook, Jasika – who now counts US Open finalist Kei Nishikori as a mentor – says that he feels a lot more confident going into matches.

“I guess more people know about me now. So that’s a good thing,” he said.

Clearly, the prospect of what comes next for Jasika is exciting, but he is taking it one deliberate step at a time.

“It will depend on how I go in Traralgon,” he said. “Then I’ll sit down with my coach and see where we go from here.”

Immediately on the agenda is a second-round encounter with fellow Australian and seventh seed Alex Bolt, who has enjoyed a successful year in 2014 that included a maiden ATP Challenger title in China.

Bolt came back from a set down in his opening match to defeat American Mitchell Krueger.

Other notable Australian results from Traralgon on Tuesday included Townsville native John-Patrick Smith’s upset of compatriot and third seed Matthew Ebden in straight sets, while Ben Mitchell took out eighth seed Ti Chen.

Meanwhile, American Jermere Jenkins – fresh from grabbing the titles in Cairns and Toowomba – overcame top seed Go Soeda 7-6(3) 6-1.