Heather Watson battled through her final qualifying match against American Irina Falconi to secure her place in the Australian Open.Her 6-4 7-6(1) victory ensures her third consecutive Melbourne appearance, where she will face 31st seed Daniela Hantuchova in the opening round.
After slipping to 120 in the world rankings, Watson will be looking to cause an upset in order to defend the ranking points won in last year's event, where she reached the third round.
Victory will come as a relief to the youngster, who suffered from a long bout of glandular fever throughout much of the 2013 season. She told BBC Sport, "It would have been the end of the world if I didn't get through".
Watson successfully defended against her opponents mixed style of play, claiming victory in just over two hours on a cool Melbourne afternoon.
After breaking Falconi in the first set to lead 5-3, Watson had the chance to serve for the set but dropped her serve. However, the Guernsey-born star hit back to claim it 6-4.
After a tense second set, missing two match points at 5-4, Watson was ruthless in the tie-break, winning seven consecutive points to claim the victory.
She said, "It was a very tricky match. She's not your usual WTA player. She slices a lot, she's got good hands, good touch, she's not the overpowering type".
After her first round victory Watson admitted to nerves and those returned today. "I got a bit nervous closing it out but it's last round of qualifying; there's a lot on that match".
She will join fellow Brits Laura Robson and Andy Murray in the main draw, the only one of six British players to come through qualifying.
There will be little rest for Watson who is scheduled to play her opening tie on Monday, appearing first on Court 2.
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