There is no love lost between Emma Navarro and Qinwen Zheng.

The pair both reached the second round, but Zheng didn’t hold back when asked to respond to those who think she needs to show more respect.

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Navarro survived a push for a meeting with Zheng’s compatriot Xiyu Wang, but had a sentence and collapse after an hour and 17 minutes.

The American fought to win the entire match 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-5 in a grueling 3 hour 20 minute match at Rod Laver Arena.

“One of the more unique games I’ve played in a long time,” Navarro said.

“I guess I just relied heavily on my courage, toughness and fight.”

While title rival Zheng won her first round match relatively easily – she beat Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni 7:6 (3), 6:1 – and thus secured her second round spot.

Although Zheng and Navarro only met in the final, it did not stop the rekindling of their rivalry, which took center stage at the Olympics last summer.

Zheng was criticized by Navarro after their marathon three-hour fight that saw the Chinese win 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4) and 6-1 at the Olympics.

Navarro criticized Zheng for her lack of respect, saying, “I told her I don’t respect her as a competitor… I think she’s taking a pretty hard-nosed approach to things.”

“It leads to there not being a lot of camaraderie in the locker room, so it’s difficult to play against an opponent like that who I really don’t respect.”

Zheng responded to her criticism after being asked about her handshakes and whether she showed enough respect at the end of games.

“Well, I always shake hands with my opponent because I think that is the basic respect. No matter whether I win or lose, I always shake hands,” Zheng said in her post-match press conference at the Australian Open.

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“I also don’t hug my opponent often because I feel like it’s not necessary for me.”

“That’s why you won’t see me losing a game with a happy face towards the opponent. If you’ve seen me do that, it’s very strange.”

Zheng will believe her ultra-competitive attitude is the reason she is ranked 5th in the world.

The 22-year-old won Olympic gold in the women’s singles tournament in Paris last summer and reached the final of the Australian Open last year.

While Navarro is ranked No. 8 in the world, her best result at a major came at the 2024 US Open, where she reached the semifinals.

Both players are aiming to reach the final of the Australian Open, where there could be a highly anticipated clash with both at opposite ends of the draw.