Paula Badosa has marched into the Australian Open third round for the first time and credited a win over world No.1 Ash Barty for igniting her career.
The Spaniard swept past Martina Trevisan 6-0 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday to stretch her unbeaten summer run to seven matches.
Badosa won the Sydney Tennis Classic last week and then underlined her status as an Open dark horse with her booming groundstrokes and big serve overwhelming her Italian opponent.
The eighth seed was joined in the next round by two-time champion Victoria Azarenka, who thumped Swiss Jil Teichmann 6-1 6-2.
Badosa started 2021 ranked 70th in the world but has reached a career-high No.6 on the back of the Sydney title, beating reigning French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the final.
She said a win over Barty at the Charleston Open in April had fuelled her belief.
"I worked very hard last year, but I think there was a key moment but it was after winning (sic) Ash Barty," Badosa said on Wednesday.
"She's the best player in the world -- the number says it because she's an amazing player and for me, beating her was amazing.
"After that moment, I felt that everything was possible and I could win any player."
Badosa's best grand slam performance is an appearance in the 2021 French Open quarter-finals while she made a first-round exit from Melbourne Park last year.
That came after she was forced to spend 21 days in hard quarantine after first being deemed a close contact on the players' charter flight to Australia and then testing positive for COVID-19.
Badosa will next face Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk after the 19-year-old downed Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
A former Australian Open junior champion, Kostyuk reached the third round of the main draw in Melbourne in 2018 when she was just 15.
World No.25 Azarenka will take on 15th-seeded Elina Svitolina, who advanced after France's Harmony Tan had to leave the court in a wheelchair after she suffered a knee injury while trailing 6-3 5-7 5-1.
Barty quickly dispatched qualifier Lucia Bonzetti 6-1 6-1 to set up a third-round encounter with another Italian, Camila Giorgi.
Giorgi, the 30th seed, overcame Tereza Martincova 6-2 7-6 (7-2).
