Jasmine Paolini has booked her place in the third round of the Australian Open, the season’s first Grand Slam tournament. The Italian, seeded seventh, defeated Poland’s Magdalena Frech, world No. 57, 6-2, 6-3 in a match disrupted several times by rain.

The contest began on an outdoor court and was suspended twice before being completed on a covered court. Despite the straight-sets scoreline, the match proved more challenging than expected. Several games went to deuce and Paolini faced as many as 14 break points, managing to escape trouble at key moments. The Italian landed 61 per cent of her first serves and won 66 per cent of points behind her first delivery.

The match ended with a forehand winner on the run from Paolini, who equals her best result at Melbourne. In the third round, she will face the winner of the match between American Iva Jovic and Australia’s Priscilla Hon.