Australian youngster Taylah Preston has made her first tour-level quarterfinal after upsetting Rebecca Sramkova in straight sets at the Hobart International.
The 20-year-old world No.204, who also has a wildcard at the upcoming Australian Open, finished with a flurry to beat the Slovakian No.72 6-4 6-1 on Wednesday.
She dropped the opening game of the second set in the second-round match before reeling off six straight.
"I think I handled myself really well in that situation. I just tried to stay relaxed and trust what I was doing," Preston said.
"It's something that me and my coach have talked about, just playing fearless.
"With the way I play, I'm probably going to miss a few shots but just keep going for it and commit and trust what I'm doing."
Preston, who hails from Western Australia, pulled off the biggest win of her career rankings-wise in the opening round, accounting for fifth seed Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
She hit a career-high ranking of 134 in 2024 but fell outside the top 200 heading into this season.
"I've had a bit of a tough last 12 months," she said.
"So to be able to get my confidence up and know that I can compete and win at this level is a massive ... booster and hopefully sets myself up for the rest of the year."
Preston will face either Grand Slam champion and top seed Emma Raducanu or Polish world No.72 Magdalena Frech for a place in the semifinals.
"It would be a really cool experience for me to test myself (against Raducanu). She's won a Grand Slam and is obviously a very, very good player," she said.
At last year's Hobart International, Australia's top-ranked woman Maya Joint sparked a breakout season with a run to the semifinals from outside the top 100.
Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier, advanced to the second round on Wednesday when she finished off a rain delayed match against Maria Camila Osorio Serrano.
The Brit came from behind in the second set for a 6-3 7-6 (7-2) victory.
Raducanu and Frech will play their second-round match on Thursday with the winner expected to back up for the quarterfinal against Preston later in the day.