Talia Gibson’s hot form in the California desert shows no signs of being doused, with the West Aussie taking down her third player ranked in the world’s top 20 with victory over Jasmine Paolini.

Gibson admitted she felt “shocked” after producing a masterclass in the deciding set to record a 7-5 2-6 6-1 win over the Italian world No.7.

It marked the 21-year-old’s first career win over a top-10 opponent, and comes off the heels of triumphs against 11th-ranked Ekaterina Alexandrova and world No.17 Clara Tauson.

The result also meant Gibson became the youngest woman in six years to reach the quarter finals in their maiden WTA 1000 main draw event.

“At the moment, I think I just have a lot of confidence in how I’m playing, especially after the Aussie summer,” Gibson said.

“I was just able to learn so much, and I think everything’s clicking at the moment.

“I can’t really describe it, to be honest. I’m just so shocked.”

Having burst into the world’s top 100 earlier in the tournament, Gibson’s ranking has now climbed to world No.67 ahead of her quarter final on Friday (WA time).

The win was Gibson’s second over Paolini this year, having teamed up with Kimberly Birrell to defeat the Italian and Sara Errani during the Australian Open doubles en route to a quarter final berth.