MELBOURNE, Australia — She was playing with house money, a No. 24 seed who spent 15 days confined to a hotel room last month, a former U.C.L.A. Bruin who went to college because she did not have the head for professional tennis at 18 years old and was in need of a backup plan.
The old Jennifer Brady was not the one who took the court Saturday night. This Brady approached this match as though she deserved to be here, like she belonged and did not need a participation medal for making it to her first Grand Slam final.