Day Four: Kvitova out, Robson though

After three hours of match play and a tense third set a shock result reverberated around Melbourne Park. World number 50 Laura Robson has defeated grand slam winner Petra Kvitova.

Th British number two beat the eighth seed 2-6 6-3 11-9 in a dramatic match which didn't finish until 00:30 local time.

Robson recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the final set to join fellow Brit Heather Watson in the third round.

Laura will now play 29th seed Sloane Stephens in the third round of the Australian Open, a match she will play on Saturday.

"I knew it was going to be a really tough match," Robson said. "I have always struggled against 'lefties' anyway.

"I was just trying to return her serves and it was very hard. But I knew once I got my returns firing a bit and I got a bit more confidence in my serve, I would get myself into the match, and that is what I managed to do."

It is fair to say that Robson played a nervous opening game, double faulting twice and netting a volley as she was quickly broken to love, Kvitova handed it straight back.

The pattern was set, with Kvitova taking the first set by virtue of making marginally fewer errors and more winners, albeit struggling herself.

The match came down to a decider but with the time approaching midnight, and after an hour and a half of largely ugly tennis, a sizable number of spectators headed for the exit. 

They missed out on a gripping finale, a 94-minute final set in which Kvitova opened aggressively and played her best tennis of the match to lead 3-0.

It was Robson who first had the chance to serve out the match at 6-5 up, but Kvitova came out swinging with a drop shot and a thumping return.

After 13 breaks of serve in three sets, the next six games became a shoot-out as the two players showed why their serves can be such devastating weapons, but it was Kvitova who folded once too often.

Her 18th double-fault of the match - to go alongside 18 aces - helped Robson to another break at 9-9 and, cheered on by the majority of the remaining crowd, the Melbourne-born Londoner closed it out to love.