Nerve and serve are held as Robson advances

The 18-year-old overcame a woeful first set to grow into the match and, after failing to serve it out at 6-5 in the decider, she got the job done when the chance next arose to go through 2-6 6-3 11-9 in exactly three hours.

With Heather Watson already having advanced to a meeting with Agnieszka Radwanska, it was the first time since the 1991 US Open that Britain has had two women in the last 32 of a grand slam event.

It certainly was not pretty but Robson, who reached the fourth round in New York last year with stunning wins over Kim Clijsters and Li Na, again displayed a resolve which, allied to her natural talent, bodes well for the future.

She next plays another rising star, American Sloane Stephens, who beat her in Hobart last week.

Although happy with a victory she described as “her toughest”, the British No 2 admitted it had been a patchy encounter.

“I thought it was pretty ugly but, in terms of how tough it was to close it out at the end, it was right up there with my best wins,” she said.

“I never gave up, even when she went up a break twice in the third.

“I thought I had to get as many returns in as I can and in the end I thought I have nothing to lose so I relaxed on my serve and decided to go for it.”

Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, has been struggling for confidence in recent months – she has not won consecutive matches since the US Open – and suffered early-round defeats at the warm-up events in Brisbane and Sydney.

She again appeared mentally fragile, especially in the deciding set, as Robson held her nerve rather than the more experienced Czech.

The first two sets were instantly forgettable with both players making a catalogue of errors as the momentum swung one way and then the other.

Kvitova had the better of the opener with Robson appearing to be hamstrung by nerves in her first night session appearance on a show court at a major. “In the first set it was just too up and down,” said Robson. “You can’t win a set when you are hitting five unforced errors to every winner.

“At the start of the second, I knew I had to play with more consistency.”

She did exactly that to hit back, aided admittedly by Kvitova’s inability to keep the ball in court.

Most of the drama was reserved, though, for the deciding set, after Kvitova had surged into a 3-0 lead.

Robson held and then got the break back as Kvitova threw in three double faults in an awful game to lose the advantage.

In keeping with the match, Robson promptly handed it back, more serving woe compounded by a netted backhand on break point.

So it continued, Robson breaking again to change ends at 4-3 down. There was eventually a hold as the teenager made it 4-4.

The standard was improving as the match reached its crucial stages, both players holding before Robson profited from yet another Kvitova meltdown to break for a 6-5 lead.

She could not serve it out, however, being broken to 15 as nerves got to the younger woman.

Two holds followed before a disputed line call at 7-7, 30-30 unsettled Kvitova but, to her credit, she came through to again pile the pressure on Robson.

She held firm as the match then went into a spell of being dominated by serve until Robson broke for 10-9.

This time Kvitova, had no reply as Robson served it out to go through with the match finishing well after midnight.

“I was pretty disappointed at how I tried to serve it out at 6-5, I gave her too much time on the ball so to come out with a win is pretty pleasing,” added Robson.

“In some matches you lose some belief but in this one I always felt I could win.”

The biggest obstacle to Serena Williams’s progress so far has been herself.

The American, seeking a sixth title in Melbourne, went into her second-round match with Spanish teenager Garbine Muguruza nursing a twisted right ankle, suffered in a heavy fall during her whitewash of Edina Gallovits-Hall.

Although 19-year-old Muguruza did not have the weapons to really test Williams’s movement, the third seed managed do herself further damage, hitting herself in the face with her racket midway through the first set.

It was hard to tell whether the constant dabbing of her mouth was caused by pain or embarrassment, but it mattered little as Williams came through 6-2 6-0.

Williams, who plays Ayumi Morita next, followed top seed Victoria Azarenka on to Rod Laver Arena, the Belarusian taking just 55 minutes to see off Eleni Daniilidou 6-1 6-0.

Azarenka, Williams and second seed Maria Sharapova have made it into round three for a combined loss of eight games.

But world No 1 Azarenka dismissed suggestions the increasing amount of lop-sided matches in the early rounds of the women’s draw was damaging for the game.

“I think it’s really competitive, the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story and to win matches 6-0 6-0 requires a lot of discipline, a lot of focus. I can only speak for myself, but it seems like everybody is in great form so it’s going to be very interesting.”