Daria Gavrilova in action against Arina Rodionova during the 2015 Australian Open playoff at Melbourne Park yesterday. Source: Getty Images

Gavrilova, who goes by the name Dasha, proved too accomplished for Arina Rodionova in the final of a playoff for the wildcard at Melbourne Park yesterday.

The 20-year-old’s 6-4 6-2 victory in a match between two former Russians is a welcome change of luck after a disappointing week for those close to her.

While Gavrilova moved through the week with a minimum of fuss, her close friend and house mate Storm Sanders was the first to succumb to misfortune. On the comeback after injury, Sanders was forced to withdraw from the wildcard playoff on the eve of her first round match with tonsillitis. Then Gavrilova’s partner, emerging talent Luke Saville, withdrew from a semi-final against Jordan Thompson after straining a hamstring. The former Wimbledon boys champion was top seed for the male playoffs.

But Gavrilova, 20, is no stranger to injury hardship, having been sidelined with a serious injury a year ago.

She said yesterday that she was jealous while watching from the sidelines during last year’s playoffs as she recovered from a knee reconstruction.

“Last time I watched and really wished that I was playing. I thought ‘Why did this happen to me?’,” she said.

“I actually thought about it during my match. I was like ‘Oh, wow, you were on crutches last year, so come on, keep fighting, you can do it’. So that helped.”

Gavrilova, who is coached by Nicole Pratt, boasts a rounded game, with her volleying throughout the week exceptional.

The Moscow-born right-hander returned to the tour following her knee problem in July in the US and managed to cut her ranking by more than 100 positions.

But her victory yesterday opens the door for Gavrilova to make significant inroads in 2015.

Not only does it guarantee her a start in the Australian Open, which she qualified for in 2012 and then reached the second round, it also places her at the head of the queue for wildcards into WTA lead-up events held in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart.

“It just feels great that I won it. I feel like I deserve to be in the main draw of the Australian Open,” she said.

The men’s final between Thompson, last year’s winner, and John-Patrick Smith was far tighter.

Given the likelihood a number of players who did not play the event will be awarded wildcards, the stakes were high.

Thompson, who had not played since Wednesday given Saville’s injury, started well and was on the verge of another Open start after showing great promise in January.

But Smith, who started in the US collegiate system, fought back to take the next two sets to force a decider.

With both players nearing exhaustion and cramping, it was Thompson who prevailed 9-7 in the fifth set.