Tennis: Baltacha keeps winning!

British number one Elena Baltacha's superb run at the Australian Open continued on Wednesday as she produced a stirring comeback to see off Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.



Elena Baltacha had to change her flight home for the fifth time after continuing her superb run at the Australian Open. But the modest 21-year-old will not be blowing any of her biggest-ever pay-day on an upgrade to first class despite securing her place in the last 32 in Melbourne.

For the second match in succession the British number one recovered from a set down to beat a higher ranked player. On Monday it was world number 66 Katarina Srebotnik, on Wednesday it was the turn of world number 115 Stephanie Cohen-Aloro to crumble under Baltacha's onslaught.

The typically gutsy 2-6 6-3 6-1 victory on court six was Baltacha's fifth in six days after battling through three rounds of qualifying, and makes her the first British woman into the third round here since Clare Wood in 1991. It also ensures her biggest pay day of 18,792 - only 4,000 less than she earnt in the whole of 2004 - and her highest world ranking, a leap of around 60 places from 185th to inside the top 130 already guaranteed.

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