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Daria Gavrilova has won in a battle of the ages defeating Kristina Mladenovic in an epic after a 20-game third set saw the Australian prevail.
The first set was equal for the first six games with Mladenovic displaying some strong forehand strokes with good timing but made far too many forced errors.
Gavrilova took a while to find her groove however, the Australian raced a way at the end of the set to power through for a 6-4 win.
Gavrilova started strong in the second set however it soon levelled out before Mladenovic’s forehand returned to its finest and the Hopman Cup winner lost confidence. Kristina Mladenovic then sent the match to a third set after winning the second set 6-4.
Mladenovic had the slight edge after seven games however, Gavrilova soon fired up and began to once again dominate with two strong games to set up service for the match.
28th seed Mladenovic once again appeared strong going within a game of victory. Gavrilova stayed alive to send it to 6-6 before Mladenovic streaked one game ahead.
Serving to stay alive at the Australian Open, Gavrilova pulled the match into a 15th and 16th game with service held until Gavrilova finally broke serve in the 19th game.
She won the 20th game in a dominant display and will play either Carla Suarez Navarro or Elizaveta Kulichkova in the fourth round.
Final score
Daria Gavrilova defeated Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 4-6, 11-9
Can Daria Gavrilova continue to the fourth round of the Australian Open with a win over 28th seed Kristina Mladenovic? Join The Roar from around 5:30pm (AEDT) for live scores and coverage.
Gavrilova has had a dream start to 2016, causing plenty of upsets.
The adopted Aussie has never been to the third round of a grand slam before, however she is in the best possible position to extend her best grand slam finish, with a good draw and strong support on her side following her win alongside Nick Kyrgios at the Hopman Cup in Perth, earlier in 2016.
At the mixed doubles tournament, she knocked off top players Sabine Lisicki and Elina Svitolina, while also putting in strong performances against Caroline Garcia and Heather Watson, going down fighting.
One of the best young talents on the WTA Tour, Gavrilova started her Australian Open with a bang, defeating Lucie Hradecka in the first round 7-6, 6-4 before sending sixth seed Petra Kvitova out of the tournament with a straight sets victory 6-4, 6-4.
Mladenovic is seeded 28th and will be coming up against a vocal Hisense Arena crowd.
She began the first grand slam of the year with a win in straight sets over Dominika Cibulkova, before doing the same to Nicole Gibbs in the second round 6-1, 7-6.
Mladenovic has only won two of her last ten matches, making first-round exits at both the Sydney International and Brisbane International, at the hands of compatriots Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet who are ranked 34th and 33rd respectively, losing in straight sets on both occasions.
The pair have never played each other on the WTA Tour, and the winner will take on tenth seed Carla Suarez Navarro or Elizaveta Kulichkova in the fourth round.
Prediction
Daria Gavrilova will continue her form with a win in three sets and progress to the fourth round.
Join The Roar for live score updates and debate in our live blog from around 5:30pm (AEDT), following the completion of Federico Delbonis and Gilles Simon, and comment below if you’re watching the match.
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