There is no escaping the hype surrounding an Aussie No.1.
Now, Ashleigh Barty has her first chance at harnessing those public expectations to fuel her own hopes for 2018 when she meets Lesia Tsurenko in the opening round of the Brisbane International on Monday night.
As a wild card in 2017, the Ipswich local gave a glimpse of her season to come when she pushed then No.1 Angelique Kerber at last year’s event.
She would go on to register wins over the likes of Garbine Muguruza and Venus Williams, captured her first tour title and took the reins from Sam Stosur as the top-ranked Australian at year’s end.
The 21-year-old beat Tsurenko, the 2013 Brisbane semifinalist, in their only prior meeting.
“You have to embrace it, there is only one way you can go about it and the attention has changed,” Barty said of the inevitable hype. “I’ve always had phenomenal support but it feels like it’s gone to the next level.”
Aussie wildcard Jordan Thompson will draw on past success on Pat Rafter Arena when he locks horns with rising American 21-year-old, Jared Donaldson, in the opening match on Monday night.
Last year, the third-ranked Australian took down former world No.3 David Ferrer en route to the Brisbane quarter-finals and followed up with a pivotal win over then No.15 Jack Sock in Australia’s Davis Cup quarter-final triumph over the United States. Thompson also had then No.1 Andy Murray’s number on grass at Queen’s Club in June.
Australia’s second-ranked man, Matt Ebden, faces a similar hurdle as he attempts to deny another rising American, Frances Tiafoe, during the Day 2 session on Pat Rafter Arena.
The consistent West Australian has never played the talented 19-year-old. Tiafoe ended world No.4 Alexander Zverev’s 10-match winning streak in Cincinnati last year and gave Roger Federer a huge scare in the first round at the US Open.
In arguably the toughest of the women’s first-round clashes, fifth-seeded Brit, Johanna Konta, faces the daunting task of taming big-hitting world No.19 Madison Keys. Konta, who captured titles in Sydney and Miami last season, also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. She will need to be on her game against the 22-year-old American, who hit her stride in the second half of the season to reach her maiden grand slam final in New York.
Women’s third seed Elina Svitolina, of Ukraine, will open Day 2 on Pat Rafter Arena when she squares off against dangerous former top-tenner, Carla Suarez Navarro. The pair has split four prior meetings with three going the distance in tight three-setters.
Svitolina captured five titles in 2017, with her most impressive triumph coming in Toronto where she swept aside Venus Williams, Muguruza, Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki.