When she won her match, Maria Sharapova knew instantly what it meant.
Serena Williams, on the other hand, completed her match in Serena straight sets fashion and had not the merest clue who was next, or at least feigned ignorance. Presumably when you are Serena does it really matter who is next?
For most players, Sharapova would be a troubling proposition. Not for Serena. Sharapova has not beaten Williams in the past 17 matches they have played. The last time Sharapova beat Williams was in Los Angeles at the Tour Championships in 2004. Since then, on any surface, in any country, in any conditions Williams has won. She can afford to be blithe.
Of course it could also have been an affectation: generously put, Williams and Sharapova don't much like one another. There is the on-court thing, which is really only a rivalry for one of them and that is not Williams. Then there is the bitter off-court rivalry: both went out with Grigor Dimitrov. 
Several years ago Williams not so obliquely chided Sharapova with a disparaging comment about an anonymous player - clearly Sharapova - and said it was "her choice to be with a guy with a black heart". There were apologies after but they had all the sincerity of a Sharapova ground-shot grunt.
So here we are now, they face each other next round. Centre court. They were here in the final last year and you already know the record.
Plainly this fixture loomed over the draw for Sharapova in a manner more menacingly even than waiting to face Rafa did for Roger (though Roger and Rafa never hated one another). Sharapova knows she is up against Williams and history. She must do something different or better or just add to the long roll call of losses.
Pithily she replied when asked if she needed to focus on what she can do better this time: "Absolutely. It's not like I think about what I can do worse." Quite.
"I got myself into the quarter-final of a grand slam. There is no reason I shouldn't be looking to improve and to getting my game in a better position than any other previous round. It's only going to be tougher, especially against Serena," she said.
On that Williams said, in the manner of someone congratulating her opponent for her pluck, that every time she plays Sharapova she brings something new and tries really, really hard. Then Williams beats her.
"She always brings in something new and something special. She's very consistent, as well," she said, damning with feint praise.
Williams is more comfortable reflecting on their history and how she upstaged the then world No.1 back in the day by playing with abandon.
"I just remember hitting an inside out forehand, and, yeah, when I was down match point. I remember hitting it as hard as I could. Yeah, that's all I remember. I remember obviously winning, and that was really great," she said of her first defeat of the Russian in Miami in 2004. "That win propelled me to win the tournament, so ... I would give it in the top 10 or top 5 [wins of her career]."
Sharapova then beat her twice - the first and last times she beat her - and Williams recalls getting the win back over her in the semi-final here in Melbourne in 2005.
"At that point I wasn't expecting to get that far, and then I was ... in the final, I just honestly didn't expect to be in the final. I remember I made up my mind I have absolutely nothing to lose in this match, and, I don't know, I just started playing really well. Because she was the favourite. She was No.1. I really didn't have anything to lose, so it was just like."
The weight of history Williams accepts works for and against her.
"I think the person who's winning could definitely feel the pressure because there is a lot of expectations. The person who is losing, well, I have lost X amount in a row; I don't have anything to lose. But in this situation, I don't have anything to lose because I'm just here - every tournament for me is just a bonus at this point in my career. So it's an interesting place to be at."
WALK IN THE PARK
DAY EIGHT
Weather: Max 22, rain
ROD LAVER ARENA
(Prefix denotes seeding)
From 11am
7-Angelique Kerber (Ger)
v Annika Beck (Ger)
14-Victoria Azarenka (Blr)
v Barbora Strycova (Cze)
13-Milos Raonic (Can)
v 4-Stan Wawrinka (Sui)
From 7pm
16-Bernard Tomic (Aus)
v 2-Andy Murray (Gbr)
15-Madison Keys (Usa)
v Shuai Zhang (Chn)
MARGARET COURT ARENA
From 11am
3-Caroline Garcia (Fra), Kristina Mladenovic (Fra) v
13-Julia Goerges , Karolina Pliskova (Cze)
Andrey Kuznetsov (Rus)
v 23-Gael Monfils (Fra)
1-Martina Hingis (Sui), Sania Mirza (Ind) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus), Roberta Vinci (Ita)
Johanna Konta (Gbr) v 21-Ekaterina Makarova (Rus)
HISENSE ARENA
From 11am
15-Yi-Fan Xu (Chn), Saisai Zheng (Chn) v Su-Wei Hsieh (Tpe), Oksana Kalashnikova (Geo)
3- Bob Bryan (US), Mike Bryan (US) v 13-Raven Klaasen (Rsa), Rajeev Ram (US)
Not before 6.30pm
8-David Ferrer (Esp) v
10- John Isner (US)
DAY SEVEN SNAPSHOT
Player of the day
Kei Nishikori became the first man through to the quarter-finals with an impressive display against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The seventh seed has not dropped a single set in his four matches.
Stat of the day
Maria Sharapova blasted 21 aces to oust the 18-year-old 12th seed Belinda Bencic 7-5, 7-5 in a scintillating serving display.
Quote of the day
"These are the players who are going to take our spot but not just yet."
-Maria Sharapova after defeating one of the game's rising stars Swiss teen Belinda Bencic.
Key moment
Lleyton Hewitt's 20-year professional tennis career came to an end following a third-round doubles loss. Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock, beat Hewitt and fellow Australian Sam Groth 6-4, 6-2 Summary
The big guns fired on centre court with Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams showing they will be a force in the second week. Kei Nishikori looms as a bolter in the men's side of the draw in the second week.
Full results - Page 29
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