Aussie battler knocks 17th seed out of US Open for $360k payday, reaches third round of grand slam for first time

Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon has pulled off the biggest result of her career by stunning 17th seed Liudmila Samsonova at the US Open on Thursday (AEST).

The 27-year-old from Brisbane is ranked 126 in the world but played at a much higher level to come from behind and upset the Russian star 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

It is the first time Hon has reached the third round of a grand slam tournament as she fired an ace down the line on match point to secure a payday of at least $363,000 - and a likely leap into the world's top 100 for the first time.

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Samsonova reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last month where she was beaten by Iga Swiatek - who went on to win the title.

Hon has had to rebuild her career after a devastating diagnosis threatened to end it five years ago. The Aussie had been floored by an unusual hip injury.

"When they told me, they didn't know if I could play professional again - properly - and move the same way that I did," Hon told Stan Sport's Duncan McKenzie-McHarg.

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"I was obviously distraught. So coming back, playing at one of my favourite slams, qualifying, making third round - I really have no words right now.

"I'll probably not sleep tonight. For anyone else, it's, you know, just believing in yourself is so big. Like, I know everyone knows that, but it's so hard to actually do it. That's been the biggest key for me."

Hon will play American world No.49 Ann Li in the third round after she upset 16th seed Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-3.

"I feel like I'm shaking a little bit. It's something that I've dreamed of and hopefully it's not stopping here. I served pretty well. That definitely helped. Serving is half the game, isn't it? So, yeah, that was a huge one for me."

Hon also revealed the influence of her US Open superfan named Eric, who started following her at Flushing Meadows last year.

"He's yelling stuff, and it makes me laugh at the most, like, tight situations," she said.

"And so thanks, Eric. This win is almost as big for him as it is for me... I make sure he's there every single match. I'm not superstitious, but I need him to be there because he really helps me in so many ways."

The umpire told Hon to let them know if Eric was proving "too much" on the sidelines.

"And I'm like, no, he brings all the energy that I have. The one that gets me is: 'It's Pri's party, thanks for the invite!' He's like: 'Yes, I'm not going back to work or something like that. And like that genuinely made me laugh out loud and it was at such a big moment in the match."