Naomi Osaka’s extravagant jellyfish and butterfly-inspired walk-on ensemble has Aryna Sabalenka thinking.
Quite the extrovert, world No.1 Sabalenka thinks it’s about time she too ups the ante for her Rod Laver Arena entrance.
While there won’t be any mid-tournament tweaks to the two-time Australian Open champion’s kit this year, rest assured she already has 2027 in mind.
“That's why it's so beautiful that you can feel free and go and show yourself, show your personality,” Sabalenka said.
“I think that was a perfect fit of [Osaka’s] personality, her culture, a lot of things. That was pretty cool … We are working on it, but I don't know. I think I would be more like classy entrance. Maybe … long coat.
“I was fantasising, trying to work it out, but not good enough yet. But I'll come up with something cool next year, for sure.”
The top seed doesn’t have a great deal of time up her sleeve to design flamboyant walk-on outfits right now anyway, given her focus is fixed firmly on recapturing the trophy that she relinquished in last year’s final.
In the third round on Friday, Sabalenka meets Austria’s Anastasia Potapova, a player she has beaten twice without conceding more than two games a set.
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“When you go against the top-ranking player, you have nothing to lose so you play more free so they always bring the best battle, which I love,” she said.
“It's a great challenge for me. I look at each match as a new match, new opportunity. I have also been working really hard. For me, doesn't matter what was in the past.”
Following Sabalenka and Potapova in the second day match at Rod Laver Arena, men’s top seed Carlos Alcaraz returns to action against French 32nd seed Corentin Moutet.
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Two of the biggest proponents of the drop shot, Alcaraz and the left-handed Moutet have never met.
While yet to concede a set, the Spaniard was made to work in his first two matches against Adam Walton and Yannick Hanfmann, but inched closer to a third straight second week at Melbourne Park.
Against a red-lining Hanfmann, Alcaraz found it difficult to ascertain how well he was striking the ball.
“I didn't see myself playing that good, but then talking to my team, I realised that I played better than I thought, which I think is great,” he grinned.
“Obviously, I still getting used to the conditions, getting used to playing better … I think when you are on court you cannot see the right thing sometimes, so you're stuck in the negative thoughts or negative things.
“You don't see the global or the whole thing … Those comments with my team after the match helps me a lot in the next round see the things more clear.”
Australia’s leading hope, sixth seed Alex de Minaur, is back under the lights on Friday night where a familiar foe, Frances Tiafoe, bids to derail his second-week ambitions.
De Minaur was forced to bide his time against a free-swinging Hamad Medjedovic on Wednesday before he showed his mettle physically and mentally to land his seventh straight third-round showing at Melbourne Park.
He leads the ledger 3-1 against the big-noise, big-arena-loving former world No.10 Tiafoe.
“We've had some battles in the past. I wouldn't expect anything other than an absolute battle against him,” De Minaur said. “He seems to be locked in … it's only going to get tougher and tougher. I'm very happy with my level. I'm up for the full challenge.”
Riding a six-match winning streak following her fourth WTA title in Adelaide leading in, 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva closes the Rod Laver Arena night session against Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
The eighth seed has never faced the world No.79, who equalled her deepest run at a major following wins over 26th seed Dayana Yastremska and Ajla Tomljanovic.
“I feel like I gained some confidence, especially after Adelaide, winning the title there, going into Melbourne playing a lot of matches, winning those matches,” Andreeva said.
“I can say that that win obviously gave me some confidence. I'm trying to keep the level of that mindset … for as long as I can playing in Melbourne.”