Australia’s Daria Gavrilova has claimed a massive scalp to win through to the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open claycourt tournament with a straight-sets victory over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
The young Australian accounted for fifth-seeded Czech Kvitova 6-3 6-4 in Wednesday’s third round.
The draw does not get any easier for Gavrilova, who is set for a last-eight showdown with two-time Australian Open winner and fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
The Australian accounted for Britain’s Heather Watson 7-5 6-4 in the opening round, before impressing again with a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) win over No.12 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
Countrywoman Sam Stosur is hoping to join Gavrilova in the quarters after being gift-wrapped a place in the third round on Tuesday with Lucie Safarova’s withdrawal due to a stomach bug.
Stosur will play Carla Suarez Navarro for a last-eight berth after the Spanish world No.11’s 6-3 6-2 defeat of Germany’s Sabine Lisicki.