Garbine Muguruza has got off to a shaky start at the Brisbane International after battling past home favourite Sam Stosur 7-5, 6-7(2), 7-5.
The fourth seed was on course for a straightforward win after she lead Stosur by a set and a break before the Australian clawed her way back in the second set. Stosur then went on to clinch the middle set and had the early advantage at the start of the decider following a below-par service game from Muguruza. The French Open champion was on the verge of suffering an upset as her opponent battled to 4-2, two games away from victory. Despite the scare, Muguruza managed to find a way to get back into the match, winning five out of the last six games.
“The last time I played against her (Stosur) was in the semi finals of the French Open. What a first round this is… we almost played for three hours. Very, very tough match,” Muguruza told Channel Seven.
“I used all these months to prepare, be fit, get stronger and get ready here. I can never acclimatise (to the hot weather)… every year I come earlier and it’s never enough.”
Muguruza’s triumph extends Stosur’s losing streak on the tour. Since September the former US Open champion has suffered seven consecutive losses.
#Stosur: “A loss is a loss… But I’m really pleased with the way that I fought and played out there.” #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/1FLjCivPYh
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) 2 January 2017
Roberta Vinci was also pushed to her limits during her opening match. Facing Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko, the eighth seed required almost three hours to edge her out 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(5), in what was a stunning comeback. Vinci was trailing 1-5 in the decider and was forced to save five match points on her way to the final tiebreak. Her comeback was helped along by Bondarenko’s nine double faults in the third set.
Svetlana Kuznetsova enjoyed a smoother route into the next round after downing Louisa Chirico 6-2, 6-4. Successfully saving all five break points she faced and converting four against her opponent, the Russian fifth seed sealed the win in 80 minutes. The straightforward triumph has also set a milestone in Kuznetsova’s career, with her victory becoming the 600th of her career.
.@SvetlanaK27 starts 2017 with a big milestone! pic.twitter.com/Fvzzcg8xD8
— WTA (@WTA) 2 January 2017
Elina Svitolina breezed her way past an error-stricken Monica Puig 6-3, 6-3. Puig, who won an Olympic gold medal in 2016, hit 33 unforced errors in the match. That tally equated to 55% of the total point won by Svitolina.
“It was tough,” Svitolina told reporters in Brisbane. “But it was the same for both of us. I was trying to put this in my head that for everyone is the same situation, and just trying to stay positive during all the match. Everything was quite solid, I think, today and that’s why I got a W (win).”
In other matches, Asia Muhammad disposed to wildcard Donna Vekic 7-6(5), 6-1. Whilst China’s Shuai Zhang overcame Laura Siegemund 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3.
