She has tasted grand slam tennis before but this time Melbourne’s Olivia Rogowska wants to do it under her own steam.
Wildcards have previously been Rogowska’s ticket into the four majors where she made quite a few heads turn.
At the 2009 French Open, she beat top-50 player Maria Kirilenko of Russia in the first round. Three months later she took the first set off then world No 1 Dinara Safina at the US Open on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Then at the last Australian Open she upset world No 75 Sofia Arvidsson before falling to Li Na in the second round on Rod Laver Arena.
So the stage is of no concern to Rogowska, but her ranking is, as she wants to get into the slams based on results and not favours. She needs just two wins at next week’s Brisbane International to catapult herself safely inside the top 100 to ensure automatic entry into all four slams.
“Top 100 is my top goal. I’m close and this year if I’d won another four matches, I would have been there,” said Rogowska, ranked 114.
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