Some players forget past meetings with their peers on the tennis tour. Iga Swiatek isn’t one of those.
The dominant world No.1 recalled facing and losing to Elena Rybakina in the final of a junior clay-court event in Milan in 2017.
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The eyes of the world weren’t watching back then, although to a 15-year-old Swiatek it felt like it.
“I remember I was so stressed that there was live streaming on the Internet, and I just couldn't focus because of that. It seems surreal right now.”
Many more will be watching when the Grand Slam winners duel in a Sunday blockbuster at AO 2023, but Swiatek has become accustomed to performing, and very well, under the spotlight.
Her three majors suggest it.
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Swiatek won the pair’s only official duel at the highest level indoors in Ostrava in 2021, virtually a home event for the now 21-year-old given how close the Czech city lies to Poland.
She doesn't, however, place too much weight on the quarterfinal given she feels the playing conditions were different.
Nor was she fazed by losing to Rybakina 6-3 6-1 at an exhibition event in Dubai just last month.
“I really treated it as an exhibition and as a practice little bit,” she said. “So, it's hard kind of to take a lot from that match.”
In Ostrava, “the surface was so slow that it’s hard to take anything tactically from that. I’m pretty sure my coach is going to be ready to give me some tips.”
That coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, previously worked with Poland’s Wimbledon finalist, Agnieszka Radwanska.
He joined forces with Swiatek at the end of 2021 and infused greater aggression into her game.
They also practised how to counteract dangerous backhand slices in that off-season, thinking of future encounters with Ash Barty.
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As it turned out, Barty retired after her heroics at Melbourne Park last year and Rybakina succeeded the Queensland native as Wimbledon champion.
Her game is predicated on power, similar to that of Jule Niemeier, who tested Swiatek in the first round in the first week.
Swiatek overcame the German’s push midway through the first set and was in even more trouble in the second, trailing 5-3, prior to a late surge.
If Swiatek didn’t place too much emphasis on the result in Dubai, the outing can only help Rybakina.
Rybakina enters the clash following a 6-2 5-7 6-2 win over Danielle Collins, the second time in three weeks she bettered the AO 2022 finalist.
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“For sure Iga is very strong physically and mentally,” said Rybakina.
“I think that if I'm going to play my game, aggressive, I'm going to be solid from the beginning till the end, I have all the chances.”
Her chirpy coach, Stefano Vukov, stuck to his word by getting a tattoo after Rybakina won on the Wimbledon lawns in July.
Will he get another one if Rybakina bags the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup?
“No. It was only a one-time bet, and he said no chance he's going to do another one,” Rybakina said. But then, she added, “maybe he will change his mind.”
The three other top-half matches on Sunday are enticing, too.
In form meets Grand Slam champion I: Pegula v Krejcokova
Five of the six players involved are either Grand Slam winners, finalists, semifinalists or quarterfinalists. Plenty of depth, indeed.
Jessica Pegula might be the player most in form.
Pegula downed Swiatek and posted a 4-1 record to help the US triumph at the United Cup. This after making three Grand Slam quarterfinals in 2022 and appearing at the WTA Finals for the first time.
Pegula plays 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, whose most recent season was blighted by an elbow injury.
The Czech, though, ended 2022 on a roll, claiming back-to-back titles in Tallinn and Ostrava with some marathon outings.
Krejcikova toppled Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in more than three hours in the Tallinn semifinals, before another three-hour win over Swiatek in the Ostrava finale.
In form meets Grand Slam champion II: Gauff v Ostapenko
Coco Gauff — runner-up to Swiatek at Roland Garros — confronts a Grand Slam winner for the second time this fortnight in the 2017 Paris champion, Jelena Ostapenko.
Gauff won’t need any reminding that the flat-hitting Ostapenko was on the other side of the net when she won her first title indoors in Linz in 2019.
“Obviously there's going to be shots that she hits that are just going to be too good, accepting that,” said Gauff.
The American was a straight-sets winner over 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round.
All three of the 18-year-old’s matches have featured on Rod Laver Arena, including Friday against Bernarda Pera, and she certainly doesn’t mind.
“I do thrive on the big courts, and I love it,” said Gauff. “I don't take it for granted because I don't know if it will keep happening, but I'm going to enjoy the moment while it lasts.”
Rising star meets double Grand Slam champion: Zhu Lin v Victoria Azarenka
US players have flourished this year at Melbourne Park but Victoria Azarenka stopped Madison Keys’ progression with a comeback win on Friday.
The twice Australian Open champion meets surprise package Zhu Lin of China, who had already achieved her best Grand Slam showing by making the third round.
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The world No.87 collected a maiden top-10 win on Friday against Maria Sakkari that left her in tears.
Her flat, booming backhand consistently flummoxed Sakkari and delighted her many supporters on Margaret Court Arena.
“It means a lot,” said Zhu. “Makes me believe that I can play at this level and I can be a player like her.
“It took me a long way to get here, and so that's why I'm so emotional tonight. This is not the end. Yeah, let's keep going.”
Her foray into the second week comes nine years after countrywoman Li Na went all the way in Melbourne — having lost to Azarenka in the final the season before.