French world No.8 Caroline Garcia was made to work in the sweltering Melbourne heat but progressed through to the Australian Open third round with an epic 6-7(3) 6-2 8-6 victory over Czech Marketa Vondrousova.
It is the third time Garcia has advanced to the round of 32 in Melbourne after previously doing so in 2015 and 2017.
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Being involved in advantage final sets is a little strange for Garcia, but she says players just have to stay calm and play their game.
“Of course normally it’s a tiebreak but you know you can keep going for a long time,” she said.
“It doesn’t really matter if its four-all or six-all you have to keep going and be focussed on your service games and take your opportunities in other games.
“Every time I was winning my serve and doing some stupid things on her serve but I tried to keep going and keep focussed.”
The match opened with the 18-year-old Vondrousova immediately on the defensive, with the world Frenchwoman applying immense pressure on the Czech’s serve, breaking in the third game.
Garcia would continue to press, rallying beautifully en route to a 4-1 lead, but her advantage was short-lived as Vondrousova producing a brilliant game on return to break back in the seventh game.
The world No.63 saved a set point in the 10th game with a superb serve out before holding with a timely ace as the set headed to a tiebreaker.
The Czech raced out to a 6-1 lead in the tiebreak and sealed the set with an ace despite being on the wrong end of a number of key stats. Garcia led in the major indicators of aces, first serve percentage, winners and total points won, while also making eight less unforced errors.
The second set began with the world No.8 breaking in the third game again, and this time she made the advantage stick, taking the set in just over half an hour.
As she did in the previous two sets, Garcia picked up an early break in the third set, but was quickly pegged back by Vondrousova.
The pair continued to exchange service holds, with Garcia saving two break points in eighth game as the tense final set moved to the advantage stage.
With no tiebreak to separate the players it was going to be a case of who would blink first, and it was Vondrousova who faltered.
The Czech led 30-0 in her service game at 6-6 before sublime shot-making and rallying gave Garcia the chance to break, and she took it after the 18-year-old hit an errant backhand.
The world No.8 closed it out in style without conceding a point in the final game to claim victory in two hours and 29 minutes.
Despite the lengthy match in scorching heat, Garcia says her body remains in good physical condition.
“I feel good, I was surprised because I was expecting something even worse but I was able to manage it well,” she said.
“Of course after the match my feet were burning a little but I was ready for it and I tried the best I could.”
The 24-year-old clubbed 42 winners compared to Vondrousova’s 30, along with hitting 11 less unforced errors than her opponent.
Garcia will take on 2017 semifinalist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni or Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the third round on Saturday.