She finished with 28 winners compared to 27 unforced errors, and saved all break points faced.

They were key ones, the first ones in each set.

Danilovic has yet to drop a set through three rounds, a year after exiting in qualifying.

Her ranking is set to climb from No.55 to just outside the top 40, even if she exits in the next round against Paula Badosa.

MORE: AO 2025 women’s singles draw

And all this after Danilovic struggled to find her best game for a while. She memorably bagged her first title at the age of 17 in an all-teen finale against Anastasia Potapova.

Badosa finding form

Badosa entered AO 2025 with a 1-2 record this season but the Spaniard – who resurrected her career following a serious back injury – has turned it around at Melbourne Park.

The No.11 seed, formerly No.2 in the world, upped her record to 4-0 in completed matches against Marta Kostyuk after a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory at Kia Arena.  

Three have come at the Australian Open.

Badosa continued to receive support from boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas, though she did clarify that extending her racquet in the direction of her box while she sat in her chair wasn’t an invite to the AO 2023 men’s finalist to play.

“I’m always interacting with my coach,” Badosa, now into a third straight second week at a major, told reporters. “He’s the one that’s there with me. Stefanos is just a support. It’s emotional support. But he’s been supporting me so, so much on that.”

She wrestled back momentum from the Ukrainian No.17 seed by saving a break point to start the third.

Kostyuk, who reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at AO 2024, was undone by 16 double faults. At one stage, she even tried an underarm serve.

Vekic edges Shnaider

In the battle of experienced campaigner used to going deep at bigger events and younger foe who broke through in 2024, the former prevailed.

In this case, it was Donna Vekic beating lefty Diana Shnaider at Margaret Court Arena, 7-6(4) 6-7(3) 7-5 in three hours.  

Vekic struck one more winner, 44 to 43, and finished plus-six in the winners to unforced errors ratio. Shnaider, sporting her habitual bandana, was only minus-one.

Vekic, 28, reached the Wimbledon semifinals, won Olympic silver and made the second week at the US Open as part of her glittering second half of 2024.

Perhaps that made a difference in the key moments against the 20-year-old 12th seed. 

Vekic overturned a 4-2 deficit in the first set tiebreak and 5-3 deficit in the third.

Vekic surged to end the match, dropping four points in the final three games.

“She was playing unbelievable,” said the No.18 seed. “In my next life, I want to be a lefty. I don’t remember the last time I beat a lefty so I’m really happy with that win.”

Vekic has actually won three of her last four against left-handers – after losing to Shnaider in a grass-court final ahead of Wimbledon.

Andreeva wins another deciding set

The youngest player in the draw remains Shnaider’s doubles partner, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva.

After being taken to a final set tiebreak in the second round – opponent Moyuka Uchijima also served for the match at 5-3 in the third – Andreeva went deep again to beat Magdalena Frech.

Last year’s French Open semifinalist prevailed 6-2 1-6 6-2 at 1573 Arena against the Pole, who rocketed up the rankings in 2024. 

Like Badosa, saving the first break point of the final set after losing the second proved crucial.

Andreeva never trailed thereafter and set up a clash with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka leads their head-to-heads 4-1, including getting the better of Andreeva in Brisbane in straight sets at the start of January.

“Here we are again,” said the No.14 seed. “I know that probably it’s going to be an entertaining match, and of course, I’m going to do everything possible. I’m going to give it my best.”

Andreeva’s countrywoman, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, reached the fourth round for the first time in five years.

Pavlyuchenkova downed Zheng Qinwen’s conqueror, Laura Siegemund, 6-1 6-2, at John Cain Arena. Next for the 33-year-old Pavlyuchenkova is Vekic, her former fellow teen prodigy.