Golovin, who is the youngest player left in the women's singles, won 6-2 7-6 against the 23rd seed.

The youngster from Paris was granted a wildcard entry into the tournament under a reciprocal arrangement between the French and Australian Opens and now finds herself in the fourth round of her first Grand Slam event.

"I was just really happy having the wildcard," Golovin said.

"My goal was to pass a few matches, get a few points. I just started to play really well," she said.

She will now play Lisa Raymond -- who stunned third seed Venus Williams earlier -- for a place in the quarter-finals.

"I'm just hoping to have a good match on Monday," she said.

Golovin had played only four senior tournaments -- she scored her only win at Indian Wells last year -- before coming to Melbourne with her mother Lioudmila and admits to being surprised by her success.

She had a little luck in the first round when her Swiss opponent Marie-Gayane Mikaelian retired hurt from their match when Golovin was leading 6-0 4-1.

MOSCOW ROOTS

But she earned her best result in the next round when she stunned 14th seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi of Israel 6-2 6-3.

"I'm feeling confident now," Golovin said.

Golovin credits much of her success to spending two weeks working with senior French players Amelie Mauresmo and Nathalie Dechy in a training camp in L'Alpe d'Huez last December.

"We worked for two weeks in the mountains," she said. "I think that helped me a lot out here today."

Golovin was born in Moscow but moved with her family to France when she was only eight months old.

She recently moved back to Paris to train with the French Tennis Federation and new coach Pierre Cherret after living in the United States.

"I think everything's worked out really well so far," the former European under-14 and under-18 champion said.

Golovin had lived and trained in Florida before returning to France and worked with famed U.S. coach Brad Gilbert when she played in the Wimbledon and U.S. Open juniors last year.

"I've known him for like a year-and-a-half now. I go to his house, practise a little bit," she said.

"We still keep in contact. I just saw him after my match," she said.

Golovin's unexpected run in the women's draw means it is unlikely she will be able to continue in the junior draw in Melbourne.

"I think I'm going to have to pull out, unfortunately," she said.

Of no small consolation will be the fact that she is guaranteed at least A$75,000 ($58,500) in prize money by reaching the fourth round, by far the biggest payout of her short but promising career.