MELBOURNE, Australia -- Not long after Rafael Nadal advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open and a match against Kevin Anderson, Andy Murray's mother, an avid social media user, tweeted a photo of the pair -- from 1998.
"So Rafa plays Kevin Anderson in last 16. Here they are 16 years ago, at a 12u event. :)" Judy Murray wrote of the pair who born a month apart in 1986.
On the left of the photo was the lanky-looking South African -- he's now 2.03 meters (6-foot, 8 inches) tall -- next to a broadly grinning Nadal.
The two have met only once as professionals -- at the Canadian Open in 2010, when Nadal won in straight sets, the second in a tie-breaker.
"Going to be a big opponent ... big server," says Nadal. "Kevin is very aggressive player. Going to be a big, big test for me. Very tough match."
Here are some other things to watch Sunday at Melbourne Park:
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SLAM STREAK: Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard also advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open and French Open last year, and the fourth round at the U.S. Open. Now, competing in only her eighth Grand Slam, she'll play Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania as she attempts to move into the second week for the fifth major in a row. She's never played Begu and doesn't know much about her, but Bouchard is more concerned about her own game than the person across the net. "You can never control what your opponent does," Bouchard says. "I'm definitely confident in my level and my skill. I know if I perform well and play well, then I'm putting all my chances on my side. That's all I can really do on the court." That credo could be tested if she gets to the quarterfinals, where she could face No. 2-seeded Maria Sharapova, who beat her in the French Open semifinals last year.
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RECENT MEMORIES: Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov will renew their rivalry on Sunday with the British player holding a 4-2 edge in previous head-to-heads. But Dimitrov beat Murray in the quarterfinals at last year's Wimbledon, knocking the then-defending champion out of the tournament. Dimitrov said after his third-round win over Marcos Baghdatis at Melbourne Park that he recalls Murray being "flat" on the day in London, helping him race out to a 6-1 win in the first set. "I thought I really played good on that day, I used every single mistake that he did," Dimitrov said. "I'm sure he's going to be really focused and composed and wants to do everything to stop me. At the same time, I'm feeling really ready, and I like my chances every time I go out on the court." Murray beat Dimotrov in straight sets the last time the two met at the Paris Open in late October.
"It will be a tough match obviously," Murray said. "He's obviously a talented player, one of the young guys trying to make a breakthrough, so he'll be motivated."
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SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE: Maria Sharapova takes on China's Peng Shuai, a player whose career has been affected by injury and illness, including being taken off the court in a wheelchair because of severe cramping in the U.S. Open semifinals. Sharapova, whose career has also been interrupted by injuries, can sympathize with Peng's plight. "I know she's gone through a few injuries in her career," Sharapova said. "Having that start-stop type of career is never easy, because sometimes you don't feel like you can actually get a routine and a groove. I think she's someone that actually gets better by playing matches, when she gets a good feeling of her strokes, because so much depends on her groundstrokes and the fluidity of how she hits."
Peng, who hits two-handed from both sides, has beaten Sharapova only once. Their last two matches have also been at Grand Slams, where Sharapova won in straight sets at Wimbledon in 2011 and again in two sets at the French Open in 2012.
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