One major upset on a Grand Slam stage is often all it takes for a player to pinpoint where life really takes a sharp turn.
There are the obvious surges in the bank balance, confidence and interest for interviews and selfies – and then come the invites.
As Czech Karolina Muchova – a straight-sets victor in second-round Australian Open qualifying on Thursday – discovered, timing is everything in those breakthrough moments.
That surge in attention usually spikes in the immediate aftermath.
It was at Flushing Meadows last September when the 22-year-old won through qualifying and downed two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza.
Australia’s Ashleigh Barty ended her run in the third round but the young Czech’s name was out there as one to watch.
So came the invite she least expected and it wasn’t the unheralded Czech who arranged the meeting.
A photograph with Australian comedy icon Rebel Wilson was the giveaway.
“You know, she texted me on Twitter actually,” Muchova laughed after her 6-4 6-0 victory over Russian Liudmila Samsonova on Thursday.
“She got in contact with me and we had a dinner so that was quite fun.
“I was surprised, it was unbelievable, perfect. It was during the US Open, right after the Muguruza match, actually.”
In order to book her second straight Grand Slam main draw berth Muchova will need to beat Jamie Loeb, after the American’s earlier defeat of Ukrainian fifth seed Anhelina Kalinina.
The Hollywood star dinner invites may have eased in the interim, but that US Open run remains front and centre as motivation.
“Definitely it helped me,” Muchova said of the Muguruza upset.
“I mean, even those matches before I played many good matches and I won them so it definitely helped me. It showed me that I can play with the top players, so I was happy.”
The 22-year-old’s No.1 Aussie fan, for one, will be backing the promising Czech with the all-court nous and a full repertoire of trick shots to make another deep Grand Slam run, this time at AO2019.
“She was so funny,” Muchova said of Wilson. “Every word that came out of her mouth she said was just so funny.”
Earlier, Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia continued her comeback from injury with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Slovenia’s Youth Olympic champion, Kaja Juvan.
The 22-year-old reached the second round on debut at AO2018 and stood on the cusp of the top 50 before back surgery ruled her out of the second half of 2018.
“It’s not easy coming back,” Haddad Maia said. “For me the best was being with my family and friends on my birthday … the first time since I think I was 11.
“The hardest part was seeing all the players playing happy and doing what they love.”
Haddad Maia drew on Brazil’s greatest tennis player, Gustavo Kuerten, to help haul her through the tough times.
“I live in his city in the south of Brazil so I’m trying to be more close to him, listening to his experiences he had in his career,” she said. “It’s nice to have a person who can help us and I think he is the most important for our country.”
Haddad Maia faces American 16th seed Jennifer Brady for a place in the main draw.
Ninth seed Marta Kotyuk landed a 6-3 6-2 win over Frenchwoman Amandine Hesse. The 16-year-old Ukrainian, watched on by Ivan Ljubicic in the stands, reached the third round at AO2018 and will meet Spain’s Paula Badosa Gibert.
Second seed Mandy Minella, of Luxembourg, came up short in a 6-1 1-6 7-5 defeat to Belarusian Olga Govortsova, while third seed Viktorija Golubic eased past American Kristie Ahn.
Aussies Kaylah McPhee, Lizette Cabrera and Isabelle Wallace all bowed out.