Ajla Tomljanović goes down to Simona Halep in three-set loss at Australian Open

Ajla Tomljanović has fallen just short of pulling off a major upset at the Australian Open, having served for the match in her tight three-set loss to world number two Simona Halep.

Halep, a finalist at Melbourne Park in 2018, trailed 2-5 in the final set before winning five consecutive games to triumph 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Margaret Court Arena.

Tomljanović, ranked 72 in the world, served for the match at 5-3 but the experience and cool nerves of Halep helped the Romanian claw her way back into the contest to book a place in the third round.

Earlier in the evening session, third seed Naomi Osaka posted a regulation straight-sets victory.

Osaka, who won the title at Melbourne Park in 2019, was in full control of her 6-2, 6-3 win over France’s…