Samantha Stosur overcame some home-crowd jitters to beat lucie Safarova 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3 on Monday in the first round of the Sydney International. Stosur saved three break points to take a 3-2 lead in the third set before breaking Safarova again when the Czech player double-faulted on back-to-back points.
“It was relatively important win,” the Australian said. “It was good to step up and win the match after what happened last week, and I am very happy with it.” Stosur, who won the 2011 U.S. Open, has never been past the fourth round at theAustralian Open. And she has struggled at other tournaments Down Under, too. last week at the Brisbane International, Stosur lost to Varvara lepchenko 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the first round after leading 5-1 in the third set.
Stosur will next play Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic in the second round after Wozniacki withdrew from their match with a left wrist injury. In other matches, third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland beat Alize Cornet of France 6-3, 6-2 and fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany defeated lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Wozniacki out of Sydney International with injury
Caroline Wozniacki’s Australian Open preparations took a hit on Monday when she was forced to withdraw from her first-round match with a wrist injury.
“I felt it during one shot,” Wozniacki said. “I hit it against the wind and hit it late and I felt it in my wrist. “I’ve had it before so I kind of know what it is.
It’s painful every time I had to hit a backhand and I didn’t want make it worse before Melbourne, so I’m just going to try and get some treatment on it and try and get ready for next week.” she said.