Na Li from China took three sets and over two hours to overcome Hungarian Agnes Szavay 3-6 7-5 6-2 to advance to the third round of Australian Open 2010 on Thursday.
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The 16th seed fought back from a set down against her lower-ranked 22-year-old and world No. 37 opponent to claim the victory.
Szavay, a quarter-finalist at the 2007 US Open, was ruthless against Li in the opening set, securing successive breaks and sprinting to a 4-0 lead.
The Hungarian overwhelmed Li with a near-perfect service performance in the opening set, landing 96 per cent of her first serves and converting three of her five break opportunities. She wrapped up the first set in 35 minutes.
The second set was a tight battle that lasted 63 minutes and featured seven breaks of serve.
Szavay stuck first, gaining a break on her opponent in the opening game, but Li fought back and got her own break point opportunity in the fourth game.
A backhand winner down the line from Szavay rebuffed the Chinese challenge only for Li to get another opportunity minutes later and level the match 3-2.
Li, sporting an unorthodox strapping on her right knee, was rewarded for being more aggressive at the net, winning 80 per cent of her approaches in the second set and edging ahead with another break.
It took her three deuces for Li to serve out the set 7-5 and push the match to a decider.
Li’s pivotal moment came in the opening game of the final set, which lasted 10 minutes, and saw the Chinese claim a critical break. It was a knock-out blow to the Hungarian, whose serve crumbled and she sent down 20 unforced errors to Li’s 10 in the final set.
Li all but secured the match when she gained a second successive break at 4-1, and she went on to serve out the set 6-3 to claim the match in two hours and 17 minutes.
The 27-year-old was the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final when she made the final eight at Wimbledon in 2006, and reached a career-high ranking of 15 in October last year. Li will face 22 seed and former top five player Daniela Hantuchova of Slovak Republic in the third round after Hantuchova defeated Swede Sofia Arvidsson 6-4 6-1.
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