Tenth seed Ekaterina Makarova has earned a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open by beating Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4.
A confident start from both players included a number of long rallies, but with Makarova posing the bigger threat from the back of the court, the Russian made a breakthrough in the fifth game.
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Pliskova struggled to produce a response after losing serve for the first time, and Makarova comfortably served out to secure success in the opener.
The setback forced Pliskova onto the front foot, and the 22nd seed was rewarded with a break of serve, but Makarova's reaction was swift as the two-time quarter-finalist broke back in the next game.
Makarova dominated the rallies as the second set progressed, and a flurry of errors from Pliskova resulted in another break of serve as the door was opened once again.
Three match points were missed by Makarova in the ninth game, and the 26-year-old saved a couple of break points a few moments later to clinch the victory which keeps her hopes of a first Grand Slam win alive.
Callum Mulvihill
