Ten Australians took to Melbourne Park on Wednesday, seeking to win a second consecutive match and put themselves in reach of the main draw.
In the early afternoon, Maddison Inglis led the Aussie charge on Court 7, facing fifth seed and world No.102 Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain.
After falling a set behind, the 26-year-old from Perth rallied back to earn a 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory and reach the final round of Grand Slam qualifying for the fifth time.
Following Inglis on Court 7, Destanee Aiava - despite a poor Australian Open lead-in at the United Cup - looked in stellar form once again, facing Hungary's Panna Udvardy.
The 23-year-old was aggressive from the baseline, taking the match to her higher-ranked opponent to record an impressive 6-4 6-1 victory.
Just as with Inglis before, the meaning behind the win was on full display post-match as Aiava moved into the final round of qualifying at Melbourne Park for the third time.
In the late afternoon, close friends Kimberly Birrell and Priscilla Hon took to Kia Arena to battle for the second time in a month, after a first-round clash at the Brisbane International.
As was the case in Brisbane, the pair were evenly matched and could not be split through two sets, before Birrell rose her level in the decider.
The 26-year-old faced 0-40 on her serve at 4-4 in the third set, before managing to hold and ultimately break the serve of Hon to seal the match 6-4 3-6 6-4.
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Competing in his first Grand Slam qualifying event since 2019, Blake Ellis continued to show he's more than competitive at this level, recording a second consecutive straight-sets win.
The Aussie was too strong for Japan's Yosuke Watanuki, recording a 6-1 6-4 victory to move within one match of the main draw.
"I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m not expecting anything so I'll just go out there and have fun," the Aussie world No.338 said on court post-match.
In the final Aussie match on day three, 20-year-old Elena Micic was impressive once again, racing to a 6-2, 3-1 lead over Darya Astakhova, before the Russian retired.
For Micic, it continues to be a breakthrough week, recording her first top-200 victory and wins in her first two matches at Grand Slam level.
Four further Australians bowed out of qualifying on day three, with Arina Rodionova, Astra Sharma, Dane Sweeny, and Taylah Preston all falling short of the final round.
Final Round Schedule (Thursday, Jan 9):
Maddison Inglis vs [19] Julia Riera (ARG) - Court 7, 2nd match
Destanee Aiava vs [23] Eva Lys (GER) - Court 3, 2nd match
[9] Kim Birrell vs Oksana Selekhmeteva - Court 3, 3rd match [WC] Blake Ellis vs [1] Dominik Koepfer (GER) - Court 3, 4th match
[WC] Elena Micic vs [6] Polina Kudermetova - Court 6, 4th match
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