Playing her first competitive match in more than three months after having to postpone her comebacks to the season-opening WTA events in Brisbane and Adelaide, Plíšková was engaged in a difficult first set arm wrestle with Stephens, winning a tense first set tiebreak 9-7 before securing three consecutive breaks of serve in the second set to race out to a 5-0 lead.
It was just the second time in five seasons that Plíšková progressed beyond the first round of the Australian Open and, as she continues a careful recovery from her long-term absence, regaining her golden form of 2017-19 is the last thing on her mind just months after she considered retiring from tennis completely.
One of several Czech players to advance to the second round of the women's singles draw, Plíšková has set up a maiden clash with Indonesia's Janice Tjen, who caused a boilover on Tuesday by eliminating number 22 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada in straight sets.
This was one of the most enticing first round matches we had our eyes on when the draw came out and it certainly lived up to its expectations with two Grand Slam finalists going hard at it. At what point did you feel you were starting to gain control of the contest?
“Actually, right from the beginning, because I started off really well. It started getting a bit complicated, mostly because of myself but she (Stephens) is a really good player. I think the head-to-head record we have is not great for me and I did have it in my mind that I have lost, I think, my last four games against her. I just somehow don’t like her game. On hard court it was very different from clay, where I’ve played against her so many times.
"Today’s match was very fast and I think I played okay - not amazingly, just okay - and of course it was the first match after a long while so I wasn’t expecting anything great, but it was pretty solid.”
It looked to us from the stands as though things are starting to go your way again. It’s very early in the tournament but how are you feeling physically?
“I’m alright. I’ve done a lot of work in the gym, so I think I’ll be fine.”
We certainly missed you here in Australia last year as much as you missed playing here. Did you feel the love out there today?
“It was great, especially considering it was only the first round. I think I’ve played only one match on that court (Kia Arena) but it was packed and the atmosphere was great. (Stephens) is a great champion so she had plenty of support as well but the atmosphere was fantastic.”
Is your recovery routine going to be different this time around given what you went through last year?
“I’ll be spending a lot more time on the table with the physio this time! But that’s how it is. Of course, I’m not 20 anymore, and I need to look after my body. Particularly the leg which was operated on twice. I’ll need to do some other things but otherwise it’ll be similar.”
You told us last month that you haven't made plans beyond the Australian Open because of uncertainty about your physical and mental capacity. Now that you’re starting to look more like yourself again on court, have you given any more thought to what's coming next? Are you feeling a bit more ready to tackle a full season after today's success?
“I still have no plans at the moment. I would like to play a little bit more (using my protected ranking) but everything will depend on how my body will react. I don’t even know how I will feel tomorrow! I live from day to day now (laughing).”