Daria Gavrilova was 5-0 up with four set points ... and lost the first set. She then lost an argument with the umpire over the chance to review a critical point and soon after lost the match.

Things that began so well against Elise Mertens ended so badly for Gavrilova.

The pair began by setting an unenviable new Australian Open record by starting the match later than any match has ever started - the Wednesday match was a minute from starting on Thursday - but the change from 5-0 up seemed a new record entirely for Gavrilova.

The lost first set upset her but not as much as the umpire refusing her review in the second set when she was down 4-2 because she thought Gavrilova had looked up to her box first for advice first before challenging the call.

"No frickin' way," Gavrilova yelled in protest, arguing angrily that she called for the review immediately. She said her coach pointing up might have been to tell her to look at the replay.

The umpire would not be swayed. Of course to add to the upset the replay showed the ball was in - the review would have been successful. So instead of being 30-15 up in the game and bouncy she was 15-30 down and angry and distracted.

Soon after she lost the match and was immediately in an argument with the umpire again.

"The ball was in and it was a frickin' big point," she protested, visibly upset.

Later Gavrilova admitted she had looked up to her coach but she was not told by him to challenge.

"I don't know exactly the rule but I challenged it within three seconds so I was not sure what was going on," she said.

"She said because my coach told me to. But he did go like that (pointed upwards) but that could mean anything. Normally if you go like that (put your arm horizontal) that is out."

The moment typified how things had swung so radically away from Gavrilova in the match.

She began the match in spritely fashion like she was greeting the new day fresh, not still ending the last day.

Within a trice she was 5-0 up and had four set points. Then the midnight hour funk kicked in and she lost seven games in a row.

She had eight set points and lost them all. What had been a gallop became a stumble. Mertens only needed two set points to take the set.

"I don't even know what happened (after being 5-0 up)," Gavrilova said.

"I can't believe it got away from me but it just happened and it happened quickly. I didn't think I changed anything or I was not aggressive enough she just played pretty good."

A dark cloud had come of Gavrilova, she angrily threw her racquet, she was upset and frustrated and that was before the blow up with the umpire.

Mertens, ranked 37 in the world, kept pushing Gavrilova onto her backhand or more accurately kept doing what she could to keep the ball away from Gavrilova's more dangerous forehand.

Gavrilova's serve abandoned her. She was double-faulting at least once a game in and so was giving away easy points on serve. She was distracted and playing like it.

The pair had set a new record before they even hit a ball, or rather when Gavrilova hit her first ball.

A tick before the Wednesday match became a Thursday match Gavrilova and Mertens set a new standard for the latest starting time ever at an Australian Open when Gavrilova's serve began the match at 11.59pm.

One of the men who forced them to start so late - Grigor Dimitrov - set the previous record last year when he and Richard Gasquet started their game at 11.58pm. So at least he knew how they felt as he passed them in the corridor.