\n<\/p>\n
Inglis, who has been plying her trade in the tier below the WTA Tour, might have been handed a walkover, but she’s unlikely to be feeling rusty when she faces Swiatek.<\/p>\n
She has been playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles – alongside her fiance Jason Kubler – and spent 16 hours and 12 minutes on court over the past 12 days.<\/p>\n
“Once you get out there and playing, and you want it so bad, it’s crazy what you can do,” Inglis said.<\/p>\n
Second seed Swiatek, in comparison, has played just over five hours of tennis – a heavy workload by her own standards.<\/p>\n
The Pole has endured a mixed start to the tournament as she bids to complete the career Grand Slam.<\/p>\n
Swiatek squeezed past 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya with an error-strewn performance on Saturday, while she grappled with her serve and committed 34 unforced errors in her first-round match against Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue.<\/p>\n
Inglis, too, has also had to battle her way through the early rounds.<\/p>\n
Four of her five singles matches – across both qualifying and the main draw – have gone to three sets, while she’s played six tie-breaks.<\/p>\n
And her emotion spilled out when she beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund in a marathon second-round match, falling to the court in tears after more than three hours of play.<\/p>\n
“I haven’t been in the main draw of a Grand Slam for a long time,” Inglis said after that victory.<\/p>\n
“To be in a Grand Slam in Melbourne – it’s my favourite tournament. My family is here. Jason was right there. To be able to share the wins with them is crazy and so special.<\/p>\n
“I’m just going to soak it all in. It’s not every day you’re in the third round of a Grand Slam.”<\/p>\n
Reaching the fourth round is rarer still, and the quarter-finals would be bordering on a fairytale. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n