Australian Open

Petra Kvitova knocked out of Australian Open by Daria Gavrilova in second round

Published: January 20 2016 | 11:57

Last updated: January 20 2016 | 12:43

Petra Kvitova suffers an early exit from the Australian Open at the hands of Daria Gavrilova, who seals a straight-sets win in the second round.

Sixth seed Petra Kvitova has been knocked out of the Australian Open at the second-round stage by Daria Gavrilova, who earned a 6-4 6-4 victory in Melbourne on Wednesday.

The 2012 semi-finalist broke serve twice in the first set, but she struggled to hold as Gavrilova snatched three breaks in a row to give herself a surprise one-set lead.

Petra Kvitova in action against Daria Gavrilova during day three of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2016 © Getty Images

Gavrilova, who represents Australia after switching from Russia last year, managed to keep hold of her momentum by breaking Kvitova's serve to take a 4-2 lead in the second.

Kvitova tried to turn things around by breaking back, but it did not shake Gavrilova as she was able to respond and eventually win the contest.

The young tennis star has not progressed further than the third round in the Grand Slam.