“I went out there, and I was on a mission, and I knew exactly how I wanted to play and what I needed to do,” Dokic reflected in an appearance on The Sit-Down podcast.

It was the first big result in a magnificent career for Dokic, who went on to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon that year, and the semifinals the following year, and peaked at world No.4 in 2002.

Lleyton Hewitt d Pete Sampras 
– US Open 2001

Hewitt was already earmarked as an incredible talent by the time he advanced to the 2001 US Open final.

But he was still relatively inexperienced at the top level, was appearing in his first major final, and confronting Sampras, then a 13-time Grand Slam champion who’d won four US Opens.

Showing almost no sign of nerves, Hewitt dissected the great American in straight sets.

FLASHBACK: Lleyton Hewitt wins 2001 US Open title

Despite Sampras possessing perhaps the most dominant serve the sport had seen, Hewitt’s return was lethal, and he won the second and third sets 6-1 6-1.

“I even had to look up at the scoreboard a couple of times just to check what the score was. It really hadn’t sunk in that I was that far ahead,” Hewitt recalled.

“If there’s ever anyone that you’d want to play in a Grand Slam final, if you were going to win, it was one of the greatest players ever to live.”

Alicia Molik d Venus Williams 
– Australian Open 2005

Alicia Molik had never taken a set off Venus Williams in three previous losses to the American, then a four-time Grand Slam champion.

But she entered this fourth-round night match at Rod Laver Arena a changed player, and was convinced she could win.

“It’s right up there,” Molik told ausopen.com when asked if this result was her career highlight.

“Because Venus was really close to being at her best then. It was incredibly significant. Not just (beating) Venus; it was the round of 16 at the Australian Open. It also meant so much, because it’s on home soil.”

Indeed, Williams went on to win Wimbledon just six months later, making this result all the more significant.

The win propelled Molik into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, and saw her crack the world’s top 10.

Casey Dellacqua d Amelie Mauresmo 
– Australian Open 2008

Prior to AO 2008, Casey Dellacqua had never won a main-draw match at Melbourne Park, losing in the first round for five consecutive years.

This tournament changed everything.

She survived Karin Knapp 8-6 in the third set to end that streak, then upset 15th seed Patty Schnyder by the same scoreline to reach the third round.

There awaited two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo, the former world No.1 who’d won the AO title just two years earlier.