Top local hope Ashleigh Barty has found a way to the second round of the Australian Open, overcoming temperamental and powerful Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.
The Australian No.1's win saved local players from an unfortunate whitewash on a day when seven other locals went by the wayside.
Barty's steely determination won out over the scattergun teenager 6-7 (7-2) 6-4 6-4, whose arresting grunting caught the nerve of many spectators.
"I knew it was coming but it was a bit louder than I thought," Barty said.
American first-round winner Tennys Sandgren took to Twitter to chastise the world No.66.
"I don't know how many times this girl has grunted into Barty's swing, but man it's really getting to me. It's clearly affecting her play," he wrote.
Todd Woodbridge agreed, saying "Nice player #Sabalenka but something needs to be done about her noise and grunting on court!!!!"
Despite the controversy, a promising career for Sabalenka looks certain.
The match was played completely on her terms, as she sprayed 41 winners and unforced errors alike with abandon.
The Belarusian burst onto the scene in 2017, winning a title in Mumbai and beating US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the Fed Cup final.
She shot back from 0-3 down to level the first set, blowing away Barty in the tiebreak.
Again, Barty roared out of the blocks to break Sabalenka at the first opportunity, and again, the Belarusian reeled her back in.
Australia's No.1 was weathering the heavy game of Sabalenka, but earned a crucial break and hung tight to level the match at a set apiece.
Barty finally looked comfortable, benefiting from a double fault to claim the crucial third-set tiebreak.
"There were times in the match when I wasn't going to have much say," Barty said
" Once I was able to get my slice backhand in there ... I was able to get in a few points.
"I knew if I hung around long enough I've give myself an opportunity."
The world No.17's reward is another tough match.
She will face in-form Italian Camila Giorgi in the second round, who progressed through the Sydney International qualifiers to the semi-finals last week.
She lost to Angelique Kerber, who also beat Barty in the subsequent final.
Share
