Belgian Yanina Wickmayer may be the lowest-ranked player left in the Australian Open at No.80, but she will not be short of confidence in the fourth round.
Wickmayer claimed her second seeded scalp of the tournament on Friday, upsetting Italy's 14th seed Sara Errani 4-6 6-4 6-3 at Hisense Arena.
The former US Open semi-finalist, who has played three three-setters this week, accounted for 23rd seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round.
Next up is Romania's Simona Halep, the third seed who downed world No.258 Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 7-5 on Margaret Court Arena.
Wickmayer, whose best finish at the Australian Open was a fourth-round exit in 2010, has won all three of their previous meetings.
"She beat me every time when I played her, but next round will be a new day," Halep vowed, citing the fact they have not clashed since 2012.
"Now it's other story because I improved a lot in my game.
"But still I will be very focused for every point and fight for the match.
"I expect a very tough match. She's very tall and she's very strong."
Halep suggested Wickmayer's power was the catalyst for her hot run at Melbourne Park this year.
"She was in the top 20 in the past ... she's strong," last year's quarter-finalist Halep said.
Halep, Canada's seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard and Russian No.10 seed Ekaterina Makarova were among the women's winners on Friday.
Bouchard defeated Frenchwoman Garcia 7-5 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena, dishing out a bagel in a second set that lasted only 28 minutes.
But Friday's encounter was far more stressful than that for Bouchard, who was broken three times in the opening set.
The 20-year-old trailed 2-3 when she started to swing momentum in a marathon game that lasted 24 points and over 13 minutes.
Bouchard and Garcia battled to deuce nine times before the seventh seed eventually broke back.
"I don't think it was the prettiest tennis," Bouchard said.
"I'm just happy I got through even if I wasn't playing my best."
Bouchard next meets Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, who downed German Carina Witthoeft 6-4 6-4.
Makarova was the first woman through to the fourth round, trumping in-form Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4 in one hour and eight minutes.
Makarova, twice a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open, is well placed to reach the last eight again.
The 26-year-old's next assignment is German Julia Goerges, unseeded and ranked 73rd in the world.
Goerges downed world No.142 Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 in an hour and 40 minutes.
China's Peng Shuai was the other early women's winner, the 21st seed beating Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (7-9) 6-3.
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