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Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic is looking to push on at the Open after reaching the second round with an impressive straight-sets win over Japan's Misaki Doi.
Ajla Tomljanovic is savouring a rare grand slam victory but the Australian No.2 is determined to be more kind to herself, win or lose.
Tomljanovic banked a confidence-building 6-2 6-1 round one win over Japan's Misaki Doi to equal her previous best performance at Melbourne Park.
Her best-ever showing at a major was a round four appearance at Roland Garros back in 2014.
Ash Barty's understudy in the local ranks, Tomljanovic remains hopeful she can take the next step and push on from world No.72 into the top 50.
"I feel like I come here and I always get similar questions. I know I haven't made that jump that I've always been saying I'm looking to make," Tomljanovic told AAP.
"When I look back on my career, some of the matches I could have won were maybe a turning point and maybe I would have been in a different place.
"But I'm such a big believer that if you just do the work and always try to improve it has to work out at some point, and then if it doesn't, it's OK too."
While her talent has always been evident, Tomljanovic has struggled for consistency.
She is hopeful that spending plenty of time practising at Melbourne Park over the summer can give her an edge in this year's Open.
"This is the best preparation I've had because I've hit so much on the courts here," she said.
"I was pleased I came out with a strong first round and came up with a win.
"I worked really hard to put myself in the position and today was one of those days when it clicked."
She said she now felt "more mature", and "cherished" being able to compete after such a tough 2020 when she felt starved of tennis.
"It's not that my time is limited but I want to treat every tournament as a huge opportunity that can take me places," she said.
"I also try to give myself a little more credit than I used to. If I could change one thing in my career I would be more positive with myself.
"I'm not sure it would have made a difference but I consciously try to do that now."