World No.6 Jessica Pegula admits she is wary of Australia's Maya Joint, who has "nothing to lose" ahead of their Australian Open first-round clash.
The duo will meet on John Cain Arena tomorrow evening, with a rowdy Aussie crowd expected to make their voices heard.
Pegula, last year's US Open finalist, is coming off a splendid week in Adelaide where she reached the final against fellow American Madison Keys.
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She arrives in Melbourne with a new challenge — taking down Joint — who has shown promising signs during the Australian summer.
The 18-year-old Aussie reached the semi-finals of the WTA 250 event in Hobart, as well as grabbing a set from two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka after claiming a first-round win in Brisbane.
Taking nothing for granted, Pegula is prepared for the assignment.
"I remember watching her play Maddie (Madison Keys) at the US Open (last year). I do remember kind of watching that match," she said.
"Then I saw her results obviously in Brisbane. She was playing well in Hobart. Seems like a really good, young, talented player. Obviously coming here, nothing to lose, wildcard. Also with a lot of confidence, especially from last week.
"I think it's going to be a really tough match. Only having a day here as well to kind of get used to the conditions. Of course, it rained too, so I wasn't able to hit outside.
"I just came off a great week too, so I'm feeling pretty good.
"It's always tough playing a player where you don't have a lot of familiarity there. Playing someone like that, they're confident, going to [give] their best game. I'll take it as a good challenge.
"Hopefully it will be a good crowd as well, playing an Aussie in Australia here."
Joint, who recently achieved a career-high No.105 in the live WTA rankings after her run in Hobart, will embrace the experience.
"I'm really excited. It's my first main draw here, so nothing to lose. Just go out and have fun," said Joint.
"I came to Australia a couple months ago to start my pre-season. I was training in Brisbane for a couple weeks, then started with the Brisbane International, then played Hobart. Had a lot of great matches there. I'm really excited for this tournament."
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