Former champion Justine Henin fought back from a set down to see off Russian Alisa Kleybanova 3-6 6-4 6-2 to reach the Australian Open fourth round.
Henin, in her first Grand Slam event after a 20-month retirement, lost the first set, but levelled the match after a crucial break at 2-3 in the second.
Despite letting a 3-0 lead slip, the 28-year-old quickly secured the win.
Meanwhile, eighth seed Jelena Jankovic made a shock third-round exit in a 6-2 6-3 loss to 31st seed Alona Bondarenko.
Belgium's Henin, who has only just returned to the sport, looked a little weary at the start, which was not surprising considering her three-hour epic victory over fifth seed Elena Dementieva in the second round.
The former number one was swept all around the court in the opening set and after being broken at the start of the second a swift exit seemed the most likely outcome.
However, Kleybanova, 27th seed, allowed her opponent to break back and lost the set with a sloppy double fault.
With the crowd growing more noisy, both players raised their game and it was the Belgian who thrived on the atmosphere and took full advantage of the tiring Russian by flying into a 3-0 lead.
The topsy-turvy nature of this match continued with Kleybanova clawing back two successive games, but a very determined Henin stayed focused to complete a fine recovery and register her 500th career win.
The Belgian's next match will be against compatriot Yanina Wickmayer for a place in the quarter-finals.
Wickmayer beat Italy's Sara Errani 6-1 6-7 6-3 in her third round tie
Friday, January 22, 2010
Former champion Justine Henin fought back from a set down to see off Russian Alisa Kleybanova 3-6 6-4 6-2 to reach the Australian Open fourth round
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