MELBOURNE, Australia — Li Na saved a match point and fought back to join Serena Williams in reaching the Australian Open fourth round on Friday.
There were no problems for five-time champion Williams. She shrugged off another encounter played in 100-degree heat to extend her record to 10-1 against Daniela Hantuchova with the 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Also through along with Williams are fellow seeds Angelique Kerber (nine), Ana Ivanovic (14), Ekaterina Makarova (22), Flavia Pennetta (28) and Canada's Eugenie Bouchard (30).
Williams was particularly dominant in the first set with 16 winners including eight aces, which helped her save break points on a couple of occasions and also pressured Hantuchova into surrendering her own serve in the sixth game.
Hantuchova held two break points as Williams served for the set but, as was the case in the third game of the match, she was unable to capitalize.
Williams opened the second set with another break but gave it back to love in the sixth game as Hantuchova fought on before two further breaks to Williams in the seventh and ninth games ended the contest.
That leaves Williams to ponder a fourth-round meeting with 14th-seeded Serbian Ivanovic who fought back from a set down to overcome local hope Samantha Stosur 6-7 (8-10) 6-4 6-2.
Li refused to buckle despite her poor start. Twice runner-up at the year's opening major, fourth seed Li looked set to suffer her earliest defeat at the tournament since her 2008 exit at the same stage when 26th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova served for the match in the second set.
But not only did Li break back to stay in contention she then also saved the match point against her own serve.
Carrying all the momentum, she raced away with the tie-breaker to level proceedings and then rallied from an early break in the third as well to eventually win 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in just over two-and-a-half hours at Melbourne Park.
Safarova looked set to reach the fourth round at a major for the first time since 2007 when she reached the last eight at the Australian Open and fourth round at Roland Garros.
Li next will meet Makarova, who downed Monica Niculescu 6-4, 6-4,
Kerber and Pennetta will meet on Sunday. Kerber eased past American Alison Riske 6-3. 6-4 in a match that featured 11 service breaks, and Pennetta capitalized on 45 unforced errors from German Mona Barthel en route to a 6-1 7-5 triumph.
Bouchard's maiden grand slam fourth-round appearance came on a 6-2, 6-2 win over American Lauren Davis. She will now play Casey Dellacqua, who beat China's Zheng Jie 6-2 6-4.