America’s Danielle Collins is through to the fourth round of the Australian Open, but was made to battle hard by Denmark’s Clara Tauson.
A mammoth 2 hours and 35 minutes was needed to separate them.
Collins victorious 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 and goes on to face Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who destroyed China’s Shuai Zhang 6-2, 6-2.
It was the American that started the match quickest, breaking a slightly nervous Tauson in the opening game.
Collins soon raced into a 4-1 lead, but the Dane fought back, winning five games on the spin, and a monster forehand winner wrapped up the opening set 6-4.
The teenage sensation began the second set right where she left off, and broke the Florida native to take a 3-1 lead and close in on a potential fourth round spot.
This was the furthest stage at a Grand Slam the 19-year-old had gone, and her nerves soon showed.
At 4-3 up, Tauson gifted Collins a lifeline back into the match, throwing up two break points.
The 28-year-old only needed one and reeled off four consecutive games to clinch the second set 6-4. If the first two sets were good, the third and deciding set was even better.
Both players refused to back down, holding their serve as a super-tie break lay on the horizon.
The 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist earned two match points at 5-4 up after somehow winning a gruelling rally, returning Tauson’s smash with a sublime forehand.
The Rod Laver Arena erupted but Tauson was keen to prolong the match and saved three match points.
Collins’ superior fitness and Grand Slam experience came to the fore as she ripped a forehand down the line to throw up three more match points.
She only needed one, with a stunning backhand return and is back in the fourth round for the second time.
After the match, she had this to say: “A long battle today but I’m super happy to be able to pull it out, especially with how the first set ended.
“In moments I was not playing my best tennis so I was trying to figure out solutions to come up with some good stuff against Clara because I think she was playing really well, and at an incredibly high level,” she added.
“We are going to see some really good results from her moving forward. It’s going to be exciting.”
