Teenager Mirra Andreeva saved a match point as she staged a remarkable third-set comeback to reach the Australian Open fourth round.
The Russian, 16, somehow beat France’s Diane Parry 1-6 6-1 7-6 (10-5) despite being 5-1 down in the deciding set and facing a match point on her serve.
Andreeva reeled off five games in a row and served for the match, but Parry broke back to force a tie-break.
However, Andreeva dominated the breaker to secure her place in the next round.
Andreeva, who is making her first Australian Open appearance, also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.
She will play Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova, who came from behind to beat Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 4-6 7-5 6-3.
Earlier, Aryna Sabalenka continued her emphatic title defence with a 52-minute 6-0 6-0 victory over Lesia Tsurenko. Belarusian second seed Sabalenka has lost just six games in her three matches at Melbourne Park this year.
“Last year Iga [Swiatek] won so many sets 6-0 and one of my goals is trying to get closer to her,” Sabalenka said. Coco Gauff also advanced with a 6-0 6-2 win over Alycia Parks, while Russian qualifier Maria Timofeeva stunned 10th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia to become the lowest-ranked player to reach the women’s singles fourth round since 2017. During a run to the French Open third round last year Andreeva said she was inspired by a text from Andy Murray and the Scot praised her mental strength again, external on social media after her comeback against Parry.
“I didn’t expect him to watch or say anything at all,” she joked in an interview with the BBC.
“When I saw him commenting and then posting it, I will print it out, I will put it in a frame and I will bring it everywhere with me!”
At last year’s Australian Open Andreeva was playing in the girls’ singles as a 15-year-old and reached the final before losing to friend and doubles partner Alina Korneeva.
She began 2023 ranked 405th in the world but ended it 47th. Earlier this week she brushed aside sixth seed Ons Jabeur for her first win against a top-10 player.
“All the kids and everybody have dreams to become world number and to win a lot of Grand Slams,” she said.“For me, it’s just to have a career that everybody will remember, like Roger Federer, like Rafael Nadal.
“They’re not playing but everybody is still talking about them everyday, every night. I just want to be the player who everybody remembers.”
Her compatriot Timofeeva is ranked 170th in the world and was playing a top-50 player for the first time as she beat Brazil’s Haddad Maia 7-6 (9-7) 6-3.
The 20-year-old has already played two weeks at Melbourne Park, having come through qualifying to reach the main draw.
She will play Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who beat Russian Elina Avanesyan 2-6 6-4 6-4.
abalenka has enjoyed serene progress in Melbourne so far and has also seen some of her title rivals exit early. World number one Swiatek’s first two matches have kept her on court for more than five hours, with the Pole having to come back from the brink against Danielle Collins in the second round.
– BBC SPORT
