Mertens into quarters at Australian Open

Elise Mertens has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after defeating Croatian Petra Martic in straight sets.

Playing in her first Australian Open, the unseeded Belgian accounted for Martic 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 on Margaret Court Arena on Sunday.

The 22-year-old, who hadn't previously progressed past the third round in a grand slam, will face either No.4 seed Elina Svitolina from Ukraine or Czech qualifier Denisa Allertova in the quarterfinals.