Ash Barty avoided a fourth-round match with Naomi Osaka after the defending champion was upset by unseeded American Amanda Anisimova.
While world number one Barty defeated 30th seed Camila Giorgi in 61 minutes, two-time champion Naomi Osaka got into an arm wrestle with Anisimova.
After defeating a pair of qualifiers in the opening round, Barty also made light work of Giorgi in a 6-2, 6-3 win on Friday night.
The result extended Barty's unbeaten run to seven matches in 2022 as she seeks a third career Grand Slam title and first place on home soil.
Big-hitting was never likely to be Giorgi's cannon fodder, which proved to be true for the top-ranked Australian after beating qualifiers Lecia Tsurenko and Lucia Bronzetti.
But by the same token, Giorgi hasn't seriously challenged Barty, who is now unbeaten in four career meetings with the Italian.
Barty again relied on his greatest weapon – his precise serve – and has yet to break through the opening three rounds of his home slam in 23 service games this year.
She has won 57 consecutive service games in her first match of the year at the Adelaide International and is winning 84 percentage points from her first delivery.
The 25-year-old kept his spirits up to save all four break points against Giorgi, retaining his perfect tournament record.
"I thought I was definitely out of my weight class. The way she hits the ball and controls the center of the ball, it was my job to get her off the baseline and I tried to do that as often as I could." Tried it,” Barty said.
"Tough when you're up against the wind and you feel like you're up against it.
“I felt like I was able to use up a little bit of my piece. Especially that little one.”
Osaka, ranked 13th in the world, looked an early winner after getting a decisive first-set break on Anisimova in the first game of the match.
"Mate, what are you doing here?"
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2022
A nice surprise from @ashbarty's very first coach Jim Joyce 🙌#AO2022 • #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/j1Z6sAbIPR
World number 60 Anisimova took the second set before the decider, in which neither player could advance.
Anisimova saved two match points 5–4 before being forced into a tiebreak, showing over 20 years of experience and restraint to win 4–6 6–3 7–6 (10–5).
"Stepping out on court, I'm just thinking about the fun," she said.
"To win on this day is a huge bonus."
Earlier in the women's draw, two-time champion Viktoria Azarenka defeated Elena Svitolina in straight sets to reach the third round, while French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jelena Ostapenko 2–6, 6–4, 6–4. Three sets were needed.
Eighth seed Paula Badosa worked up a sweat before securing a 6-2 5-7 6-4 win over teenager Marta Kostyuk.
Fifth seed Maria Sakkari defeated Russia's Veronika Kudermatova 6-4, 6-1 to reach the last 16.
The Greek has yet to drop a set for the second week and will face American Jessica Pegula, seeded 21st, with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 win over Spaniard Nuria Parijas Diaz.
No, this is not a dream 👊@AnisimovaAmanda • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/x4vxkPIvmm
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2022
In the men's draw, seventh seed Matteo Berrettini made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open despite a heavy scare from Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz.
The pair emerged as the two biggest winners when Novak Djokovic's dramatic relegation left their quarter of a draw open.
6-2 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 2-6 7-6 (10-5) A deep race into the second week is now for the Italian after resisting a spirited fight to win Friday .
Berrettini will next face No. 19 seed Pablo Carreo Busta, who defeated American Sebastian Korda 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (6-8) 6-3.
It is the first time the 25-year-old Berrettini will take to the court in the fourth round at Melbourne Park after he was withdrawn from an abdominal strain before his meeting with Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas last year.