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Popular wildcard Chris O'Connell has bowed out of the Australian Open with a straight-sets second-round defeat to Moldovan Radu Albot.

Chris O'Connell's breakout Australian Open is over with the popular wildcard bowing out in straight sets to Moldovan Radu Albot.

After securing a maiden win in a grand slam match on Tuesday, the Australian world No.121 was eliminated 6-2 7-5 7-6 (10-8) in the second round.

The 26-year-old was blown away early but he made world No.85 Albot fight hard for the victory by forcing a third-set tiebreak.

However, Albot's 14 years of experience on the ATP tour paid off and he was able to close out the match despite O'Connell having multiple set points.

O'Connell - who was forced to claim JobKeeper during the coronavirus pandemic - will Melbourne Park with prize money of $150,000.

Albot will next face 24th-seeded Casper Rudd after his first-round upset of world No.13 Roberto Bautista Agut.

Earlier, big-serving South African Lloyd Harris got the better of Alexei Popyrin for a second straight major, ousting the local hope in the second round.

Popyrin fought hard to claim the fourth-set tiebreak at Melbourne Park and take the match into a decider.

But it was Harris who finished the stronger, winning 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 to set up a third-round encounter with American Mackenzie McDonald.

Popyrin, 21, had reached the last 32 at each of the past two Australian Opens, but he lost to Harris in the first round at last year's French Open.