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It's seven years since Ajla Tomljanovic achieved her best-ever grand slam result and she's hoping to revisit that feeling after a good start in Paris.
Ajla Tomljanovic was still a tennis "baby" when she achieved her best-ever grand slam result at the French Open seven years ago.
But Australia's No.2 player, now a hardened tour veteran, feels encouraged that she could again be set for a strong run after battling through the first round in Paris for the first time since 2015 on Sunday.
"Every first round at a slam for me is always a little bit nerve-racking because I just want it so much," said the 28-year-old, not attempting to conceal her delight at having "toughed it out" to beat Ukraine's Kateryna Kozlova 6-2 6-4.
After chalking up her country's first victory in the 2021 edition of Roland Garros, Brisbane's Tomljanovic was reminded of that dream run back in 2014 when she was a 21-year-old Croatian who would begin her tennis adventure with Australia later that year.
She caused a bit of a sensation then, beating 2010 Roland Garros champ Francesca Schiavone in the first round, 32nd seed Elena Vesnina in the second, before stunning third seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the third.
It seems almost unthinkable that a player with the talent of Tomljanovic, who became an Australian citizen in 2018, has in her subsequent 21 slams not managed to reach the third round of any of them.
"I feel my result (in 2014) was when I was quite young, I was kind of a baby on tour," she reflected.
"I was a little more fearless maybe, I didn't think too much and it was a great result.
"I think I'm a better player now but somehow I haven't had a run like that for different reasons - but today's result does give me confidence that I can also do it here."
Tomljanovic felt she'd made heavy weather of beating Kozlova after a brilliant start. She raced into a 5-0 lead but the match turned into a bit of a slog once her serve began to malfunction.
She'll need to improve her first serve percentage of 46 per cent when she faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the No.31 seed, who looked impressive in demolishing American Christina McHale 6-4 6-0.
Tomljanovic, the world No.76, has lost her only two encounters with the Russian, including in Brisbane at the start of the year in a three-setter.
AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY TWO OF THE FRENCH OPEN ON MONDAY:
Men's singles, first round
John Millman v Gianluca Mager (ITA)
Jordan Thompson v Jaume Munar (ESP)
Chris O'Connell v Tommy Paul (USA)
Women's singles, first round
Storm Sanders v 14-Elise Mertens (BEL)