Johanna Konta and Serena Williams reach Australian Open second round
Serena Williams joins Konta in next round after first-round demolition job
Tuesday 15 January 2019 11:53, UK
Johanna Konta survived a deciding tie-break to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic and become the third British player to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Konta lost to Tomljanovic in Brisbane earlier this month but produced a fine performance to come through 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (10-7).
There was little to separate the pair throughout a tight and big-hitting contest but Konta was rewarded for her aggression in the first-to-10-points tie-break, becoming the second British player after Katie Boulter to win using the new scoring format.
Konta found herself 3-1 down in the opening set without having done too much wrong but fought back to win three games in a row and then played a good tie-break.
The 27-year-old slipped from nine to 39 in the rankings in a difficult 2018 after experiencing burn-out over the final months of the previous season, in which she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The signs have been tentatively encouraging since Konta linked up with new coach Dimitri Zavialoff, a Frenchman who guided Stan Wawrinka for much of his career.
She claimed a first top-10 win in 18 months over Sloane Stephens in Brisbane before losing to Tomljanovic, and a couple of loose shots, including a wild forehand volley from on top of the net, contributed to a change in momentum that saw the Australian take the second set.
A couple of unwise drop shots put Konta on the back foot in the deciding tie-break but she stayed in touch with Tomljanovic and was rock solid mentally in winning the final three points, finishing off the victory with a forehand powered into the corner and now faces Garbine Muguruza after the Spaniard beat Zheng Saisai of China 6-2 6-3.
Serena Williams sent an ominous Australian Open warning with a 49-minute first-round demolition of Tatjana Maria.
The 37-year-old American is bidding to match Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam crowns on her first return to Melbourne Park since winning in 2017 while eight weeks pregnant, beating her German opponent 6-0 6-2.
The 16th seed wasted no time in getting out of the blistering Melbourne heat at the Rod Laver Arena.
"The last time I was here I was pregnant and playing at the same time which is insane," she said. "It's weird walking back on - by myself this time - it feels good. I have so many memories from last time I was here."
Williams, who is now into her fourth Grand Slam tournament since returning, will face Eugenie Bouchard next after the Canadian advanced with a 6-2 6-1 win over wild-card entry Peng Shuai.
World No 1 Simona Halep gained revenge on Kaia Kanepi in a compelling three-set battle on Margaret Court Arena.
Halep lost to Kanepi in the first round of the US Open last August then remarkably drew the powerful Estonian again here.
It looked like a repeat upset was on the cards when Kanepi took the opening set on a tie-break, but Halep converted her fourth set point in the 10th game of the second and went on to win 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-2.
The Romanian, the runner-up 12 months ago, said: "I don't want to remember about that match (in New York) because it was a tough one. I knew she's a very tough opponent. It was good for me tonight and I'm really happy I can play the second round."
Fourth seed Naomi Osaka began her campaign in confident fashion with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Magda Linette.
Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova, who has made the quarter-finals in her last two appearances at Melbourne Park, safely progressed, but 10th seed Darya Kasatkina was dumped out, winning just three games in a 6-3 6-0 defeat against Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky.
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