Determined Dasha charges into round of 16

Daria Gavrilova has overcome a mid-match meltdown to make the fourth round of the Australian Open for the second year running.

The 22-year-old Aussie looked in complete control agsinst Swiss 12th seed Timea Bacsinszky after taking the first set 6-3, but began to unravel in the second.

Australia's last remaining hope audibly remonstrated with herself and smashed her racquet as she lost the second set 7-5.

For Gavrilova, it brought back memories of her capitulation to Carla Suarez Navarro last year, where she gave up a 6-0 2-0 lead.

"I think I was losing my cool a little bit in the second set," Gavrilova said.

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"I told myself, 'just try and be composed. Don't do what you did last year'. I told myself to be really focused and play a tough point every point.

"I said, 'okay, just give it (your) all for the next 30 minutes', or however long it had to take."

Go girl! Image: Getty

Gavrilova's supreme athleticism soon proved the difference, allowing her to chase down a series of drop shots from Bacsinszky.

Gavrilova was broken while serving for the match at 5-3 in the final set, but broke straight back to take it out 6-4.

The thrilling three-setter finished well after 11pm on Saturday night after Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev's epic five-set tussle pushed the evening session on Rod Laver Arena back.

"I'm so happy right now," she said in a hasty on-court interview, as organisers hurried to get Grigor Dimitrov and Richard Gasquet's third round clash started before midnight.

She couldn't contain her excitement after the match, whipping out some hilarious dance moves in the players' tunnel with boyfriend Luke Saville.

The feisty Aussie will face a tough fourth-round opponent in Czech fifth seed Karolina Pliskova, who came back from 5-2 down in the third set to defeat Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 4-6 6-4 10-8.

Asked before the main draw was released to nominate who would win the Australian Open if she couldn't do so herself, Gavrilova was quick to nominate Pliskova.

"She's playing unbelievable," Gavrilova said on Saturday night.

"I lost to her pretty easily twice. But yeah, she's definitely playing her best tennis right now. I do absolutely have to play my best to beat her."

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