<p class="title">The Australian Open top seed hailed the "new Simona" Halep after saving three match points for the first time in her career to survive an epic 15-13 in the third set Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Courageous unseeded American Lauren Davis lost a middle toenail on her left foot and had to be treated twice by the physio as she threw everything at Halep in a third set that alone lasted two hours and 22 minutes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Romanian eventually won the marathon third-round clash 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 in three hours and 44 minutes after three times stumbling when serving for the match.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And she credited a new-found calmness for getting her through the toughest test of her career at 10-11, 0-40 in the third set.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm just trying to change myself to not think that much about the points," said Halep.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's really tough when the opponent has a match point," adding that her reputation for losing her temper and folding in pressure moments of important matches was a thing of the past.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If we compare the old Simona with the new Simona... I was a little bit stronger in that moment, for sure," said the world number one.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"You just go there and hit like without thinking. I did that, and I think she was a little bit tired at that moment. The pressure was on, also, and I was a little bit stronger in that moment, for sure."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep, suffering from ankle problems, came under constant pressure as the world number 75 hit 52 winners to all parts of the court.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But when she finally managed to serve out at the fourth time of asking it brought a standing ovation from Rod Laver Arena.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I never played a third set so long. I'm almost dead," said the Romanian after finally edging across the finish line. "My muscles are gone. I don't feel my ankle any more."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep nows plays either 18th seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia or Japan's Naomi Osaka in the last 16 after the longest match of the women's tournament so far.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It eclipsed the three hours and one minute that fellow Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu took to defeat Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 3-6, 6-4, 8-6 in the first round on Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But it was an hour short of the 2011 Australian Open record when Francesca Schiavone of Italy beat Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 in four hours and 44 minutes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep said that she now had nothing to lose for the rest of the tournament because "honestly, I thought it's over at that moment (three match points down). But it was good because I relaxed my arm and I served pretty well those three points.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Doesn't matter what is going to happen now," said Halep. "I say that it's a big win in many ways, and I take it." </p>
<p class="title">The Australian Open top seed hailed the "new Simona" Halep after saving three match points for the first time in her career to survive an epic 15-13 in the third set Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Courageous unseeded American Lauren Davis lost a middle toenail on her left foot and had to be treated twice by the physio as she threw everything at Halep in a third set that alone lasted two hours and 22 minutes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Romanian eventually won the marathon third-round clash 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 in three hours and 44 minutes after three times stumbling when serving for the match.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And she credited a new-found calmness for getting her through the toughest test of her career at 10-11, 0-40 in the third set.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm just trying to change myself to not think that much about the points," said Halep.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's really tough when the opponent has a match point," adding that her reputation for losing her temper and folding in pressure moments of important matches was a thing of the past.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"If we compare the old Simona with the new Simona... I was a little bit stronger in that moment, for sure," said the world number one.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"You just go there and hit like without thinking. I did that, and I think she was a little bit tired at that moment. The pressure was on, also, and I was a little bit stronger in that moment, for sure."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep, suffering from ankle problems, came under constant pressure as the world number 75 hit 52 winners to all parts of the court.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But when she finally managed to serve out at the fourth time of asking it brought a standing ovation from Rod Laver Arena.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I never played a third set so long. I'm almost dead," said the Romanian after finally edging across the finish line. "My muscles are gone. I don't feel my ankle any more."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep nows plays either 18th seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia or Japan's Naomi Osaka in the last 16 after the longest match of the women's tournament so far.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It eclipsed the three hours and one minute that fellow Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu took to defeat Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 3-6, 6-4, 8-6 in the first round on Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">But it was an hour short of the 2011 Australian Open record when Francesca Schiavone of Italy beat Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 in four hours and 44 minutes.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Halep said that she now had nothing to lose for the rest of the tournament because "honestly, I thought it's over at that moment (three match points down). But it was good because I relaxed my arm and I served pretty well those three points.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Doesn't matter what is going to happen now," said Halep. "I say that it's a big win in many ways, and I take it." </p>