Daria Kasatkina feels rejuvenated by reaching the fourth round at her "spiritual" tennis home at Roland Garros.
On the venue's famed Simonne Mathieu 'greenhouse court', Australia's newest player Kasatkina was left thrilled how her stagnant game suddenly bloomed in humid conditions on Saturday at her favourite Slam with a 6-1 7-5 defeat of former world No.2 Paula Badosa.
Kasatkina's victory on the sunken court at Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden, surrounded by its glass hothouses, conjured up the rare but sweet smell of Paris success for her adopted tennis home.
For the first time in 37 years, there'll now be an Aussie in both the men's and women's last-16 draws in the same year.
In 1988, Nicole Provis, who went on to reach the semis, and Pat Cash both made the second week.
Now the spotlight is on Kasatkina and Alexei Popyrin, who plays his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on Sunday.
Popyrin believes the lessons he gleaned after last year’s US Open win over Novak Djokovic will stand him in good stead as he now shoots for his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
But Australia's No.2 man has dismissed the idea he'll have an advantage over Paul – who's had to battle through two successive gruelling five-setters – as he hailed the American iron man as one of the fittest players on tour.
Popyrin had his finest Grand Slam moment when he beat the mighty Djokovic in New York last August in the third round before bowing out to Frances Tiafoe in his first fourth-round date.
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He fancies things are very different this time as he goes into the last-16 "feeling quite good" physically and mentally after winning his three matches without dropping a set – and having spent over three-and-a-half hours less time on court than Paul.
"I know how I'm going to be feeling in the fourth round of a slam now," said the 25-year-old Sydneysider.
“Going into the fourth round [of the 2024 US Open] against Tiafoe, I had no idea how I was going to feel, especially coming off a match like the third round against Novak. You get the emotional highs, then you top that off with the physical stress.
"That's something I can kind of learn from, which I have.”
A day later, Kasatkina will face the game's young whizzkid Mirra Andreeva, her 18-year-old friend who trounced Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time Kasatkina stopped Badosa.
The vlogging pals ended up sharing an ice bath after their early showcourt progress, and Kasatkina, in her first major under the Australian flag, sounded as if a weight had been lifted from her following a tough spell when her form and motivation slumped.
"It means a lot especially the last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court, I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff," said the 28-year-old.
"I felt little signs of burn-out or something like that. I'm really happy I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favourite tournaments."
Kasatkina, the 17th seed, smiled when discussing her transformation when returning to Roland Garros. It’s where she was a semifinalist in 2022, a quarterfinalist in 2018 and the girls' champion in 2014.
"The courts, amazing, super-good quality, the atmosphere. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you and automatically the place becomes special,” she explained.
"It's my 10th professional Roland Garros, every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium.
“I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow this place, it's been always nice to me."