Coco Gauff overcame another three-set thriller to reach the last 16 of the Canadian Open as she came from behind to defeat Veronika Kudermetova.
After being pushed all the way by compatriot Danielle Collins in her first match in Montreal, Gauff was forced to dig deep yet again to seal a 4-6 7-5 6-2 win over Kudermetova.
The top seed started strongly with a break of serve in the second game of the first set, only for Kudermetova to take advantage of Gauff's error-strewn display on serve.
Her six double faults proved decisive in the first set as Kudermetova reeled off the final five games to edge closer to a huge upset, with her momentum continuing in the second.
Kudermetova got the better of Gauff's serve to lead 2-0, but the American responded swiftly with a break of her own before clinching the second set at the second attempt.
And from there, Gauff assumed control, opening the decider with two holds to love before sealing her progression against Kudermetova's serve.
The world number two will face either wild card and home hopeful Victoria Mboko or Marie Bouzkova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Earlier in the day, fourth seed Mirra Andreeva became the first big-name casualty at the tournament after she lost in straight sets to McCartney Kessler.
Andreeva, playing in her first match since reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, twice served for the first set but was unable to find a way past a determined Kessler.
And Kessler was able to get the better of her opponent in the second set, setting up a clash with Marta Kostyuk, who survived a final-set tiebreaker against Daria Kasatkina.
Indeed, Kessler became the first player to defeat a top-five opponent at her first main draw appearance at the Canadian Open since Diana Shnaider last year (vs Gauff) and the first to do so in Montreal since Aryna Sabalenka in 2018 (vs Caroline Wozniacki).
Data Debrief: Gauff survives serving scare to surpass Wozniacki
After a shock early exit at Wimbledon, Gauff was hoping to regain her form in Montreal, and though she has reached the last 16, she has done so with extreme difficulty.
And that has been down to her service game. She totalled 14 double faults in her match with Kudermetova, adding to the 23 she committed against Collins in the first round.
Gauff knows she will need to improve to reach the latter stages of the tournament, but her latest victory saw her add yet another record to her collection so early in her career.
Indeed, Gauff (87) has now surpassed Wozniacki (86) in second place for the most wins before turning 22 in Tier I/WTA-1000 events since the format's introduction in 1990.
