Petra Martic couldn’t have hoped for a better birthday present as she stormed into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.

The Croatian tennis player, who has never qualified for the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam (this was her third last 16 appearance), rallied to pull off a 6-3 3-6 7-5 win over Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum on the day she celebrated her 27^th birthday.

As if the win was not enough, the crowd ensured Martic left the court with a big smile on her face as they sang the ‘happy birthday’ song following the two-hour and ten-minute encounter on Rod Laver Arena.

An awed Martic acknowledged the greetings with a thumbs-up and a chuckle.

Meanwhile, she is next scheduled to cross the swords with Belgium’s Elise Mertens for a place in the quarter-finals.