Sabalenka said her opponent – an Australian Open semifinalist in 2013 – had “nothing to lose”.

Stephens, though, was due to face an even more polished version of the player she last squared off against 20 months ago.

“I think, like, mindset changed a lot,” Sabalenka said. “Approach to the Slams is different. Priorities are different. I would say that mentally I changed a lot.

“I have that understanding that ‘okay, I got it, I know how to do that’. I know how to separate on-court and off-court life. Before, an extra day off would be too much for me because I would overthink about the upcoming match.”

Sabalenka’s beaten opponent from last year’s Australian Open final, fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, accepted she was no longer able to fly under the radar after a breakout season, which included an Olympic gold medal in Paris.

The Chinese 22-year-old ended the year with her fifth career title in Tokyo before a run to the WTA Finals title match in November. She hired Kei Nishikori’s former coach Dante Bottini in November for her Melbourne Park return while her full-time coach Pere Riba recovered from hip surgery.

Zheng opens Day 1 at RLA in a first meeting against 110th-ranked qualifier Anca Todoni.

The Romanian 20-year-old ended last season with her second WTA 125 title in Bolivia. She has claimed six of her seven matches in Australia this season, having qualified in Brisbane and for her Australian Open debut.

Zheng warned she now had the runs on the board to back up her firm self-belief against any rival.

“I believe if you want to beat your opponent, the first things I need to have is the confidence. If you don’t believe, you are not going to make it,” she said.

“I allow myself to be confident, but still with control, not too much. I know sometimes when I’m overconfident, I can’t listen to any advice. I’m trying to control in the best level. Not too much. Not too low.”

In the second night match at RLA, men’s second seed Alexander Zverev squares off against experienced Frenchman Lucas Pouille, determined to put memories of last year’s semifinal exit from two-sets-to-love up against Daniil Medvdevev behind him.