Pit any name in the draw against Elina Svitolina’s, and the Ukrainian will back herself to get the job done.
Such has been the 23-year-old’s rise and results over the past 12 months that her confidence has never been higher.
With Jelena Ostapenko and Sloane Stephens having made unexpected breakthroughs in Paris and New York last season, Svitolina is among the best of a stacked bunch brimming with the belief of doing the same on the Grand Slam stage.
The Ukrainian played as well as any of her peers in 2017. She claimed a tour-leading five titles from as many finals – in Taipei City, Dubai, Istanbul, Rome and Toronto – but there was a major asterisk next to her name.
Her results at the slams left plenty of room for improvement. She failed to pass the quarterfinal stage at any, letting go of a 6-3 5-1 lead to fall to Simona Halep in the last eight at Roland Garros.
Svitolina's 2018 season could not have got off to a better start with a title run at the Brisbane International ahead of her sixth Australian Open.
Two of her biggest threats, also in the hunt for a maiden major, she defeated in Brisbane – Johanna Konta and Karolina Pliskova. She also scored comprehensive results over former top-tenners Carla Suarez Navarro and Ana Konjuh, the youngest player in the top 50.
“Each Grand Slam is always a little bit different because it depends how you do in the tournaments before, how much confidence you have. I had a great week in Brisbane. Of course, I'm confident,” Svitolina said.
“I will try to … be really focused on my game, and don't have crazy thoughts in my head.”
The No.4 seed opens against a qualifier, with US Open champion Stephens a dangerous potential fourth-round opponent. Fifth seed Venus Williams could prove her biggest hurdle to breaking that Grand Slam quarterfinal hoodoo.
Could those crazy thoughts be the result of craving success a little too much in the majors?
“Of course. Everyone wants to win a Grand Slam,” she said.
“Everyone wants to play well. So, I mean, I try to find my way, what can help me to be there, to be ready for the fight.”
