Ellen Perez and Sam Stosur have held their nerve to claim a marathon second round doubles match.
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The pair secured a 7-6, 7-5 victory over Romanian pair Monica Niculescu and Raluca Olaru.
The win continues an impressive Olympic debut for Shellharbour's Perez, the 25-year-old combining with Stosur, who is in her fifth Games.
The Australian pair fought back from 5-2 down to claim the first set in a tie-breaker.
The Romanian duo had multiple chances to serve it out, including a crucial game at 6-5, however the Australians would not roll over.
Instead they forced a tie-breaker, ultimately prevailing 7-3 to claim a set that went for 67 minutes.
The second set was another even battle, however it was Perez and Stosur who looked to have a chance to close out the match.
Leading 4-3 and up a break, the Australians faltered to allow their opponents back into the contest.
As the match went down to the wire, Stosur and Perez lifted to take a 6-5 lead and ultimately serve out a clash that lasted two hours.
The victory came as Japanese hero Naomi Osaka safely progressed to the third round of the women's singles competition.
The 23-year-old secured a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic in windy conditions.
"I just thought about playing my game," Osaka said. "It's a bit hard to play someone that slices a lot like she does. For me, I feel like she's very smart so just not putting too much stress on myself over what she will do."
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Cameron Mee
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
Sports reporter at the Canberra Times
