Development of advanced grid‐synchronization technique for unbalanced and distorted grid is considered in this paper. In this context, self‐tuning filter (STF) is considered to extract the fundamental component from the measured unbalanced and distorted voltages. Standard STF considers balanced grid voltages which is not always possible to ensure in the actual power grid. To mitigate this issue, an extended STF is proposed by analyzing the standard STF in the state‐space framework. To make the proposed ESTF grid‐following, a robust open‐loop frequency estimator is also applied. The closed‐loop system enjoys excellent filtering benefit from the extended STF side while taking advantage of the fast convergence speed property of the open‐loop frequency estimation technique. Numerical simulation and experimental results with double second‐order generalized integrator phase‐locked loop are provided to validate the theoretical developments.