Update 7:35 pm. The first round of qualifying kicked off the tournament in style this morning, with hard-fought matches and athletic hitting on display as the women took to the courts in the Brisbane heat.
It was hard for the fans to settle into a seat as all four opening matches were deadlocked while stars such as Andrea Petkovic and Gilles Simon started dodging through training cones behind the stands.
It turned into a difficult morning for the Americans with seventh seed Sloane Stephens succumbing to the crafty play of experienced Austrian Yvonne Meusburger in a 7-6 6-3 scoreline on court 1, while Russian Alexandra Panova got the best of heavy baseline rallies with a tightly contested 7-5 6-3 victory over American Chichi Scholl on Court 14.
Court 2 turned into a show for the fans with hard-hitting and unbelievably long games seeing momentum swing between Croatian Mirjana Lucic and Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko. But at one set all, the intensity became too much for Lucic, who—with a heavily strapped right thigh—couldn’t match the athletic Ukrainian, going down 4-6 6-3 6-0.
But, it was the court 10 match between sixth seed Michaella Krajicek and France’s Kristina Mladenovic that emerged as the standout, with impressive athleticism and all-court play leaving the scores locked at one set all after two hours of play.
> Watch Brisbane International 2012 videos
After a tight first set, Mladenovic got the crucial break at 6-5 to go one set up before Krajicek, after squandering an early break, battled through with fearless play and saved match points to take the second set tiebreak 10-8.
But, despite being cheered on by doubles partner and main draw singles player Lucie Safarova, Krajicek lost her grip in the final set as Mladenovic took control and rushed to a 6-2 third-set win.
> View draws and order of play
Around the grounds, fans were spoilt for choice with Petkovic looking relaxed on court 5, second seed Simon hitting with fellow lanky Frenchman Nicolas Mahut on court 11, and crowd-favourite Marcos Baghdatis sparring with Austrian Jurgen Melzer on court 7.
Top seed Andy Murray and German veteran Tommy Haas chose to hit under the covers of Pat Rafter Arena this morning as they prepare to debut at the tournament in 2012.
Afternoon action
Japan’s Misaki Doi seemed to be cruising with a 6-3 5-4 lead on court 2, but Italian Karin Knapp managed to grab crucial points to snatch the second set 7-5 before settling into the Brisbane atmosphere with a 6-2 third-set win—marking the second three-set match of the day on that court.
“It was not easy because it was my first match and it was outdoor, which is hot when I came from Europe,” Knapp said.
“In the second it was a little bit difficult too because she was playing good for so long and hitting a lot of first serves. Then I could make a little bit of pressure and at the end I felt fine.”
Serbian-born Bojana Bobusic kicked off the Australian campaign on court 10 against Nina Bratchikova, but seemed quickly overwhelmed by the Russian’s well-drilled groundstrokes, losing the first set 6-1.
Bratchikova went up an early break in the second before the 24-year-old Australian gained confidence in front of the supportive crowd and forced the set into a tiebreak. But, she couldn’t overcome Bratchikova, who was happy to get away with the 6-1 7-6(5) win.
“Getting away with the win; that’s how we can call it. 7-6 in the second set could’ve been easier for me but I’m very happy that I won today and I have another chance to play tomorrow,” Bratchikova said.
“Every player is very tough here so you’ve got to take it match by match. Unfortunately or fortunately I’m not Federer so I can’t expect wins just like that – I have to go and play matches.”
On Court 1, veteran fifth seed Eleni Daniilidou was lucky to get past Russian Anastasia Pivovarova after squandering her lead in both of the opening two sets before forcing the errors from her game in the third to close out the 7-6)7) 5-7 6-3 win.
It was an optimistic hit-out for former top 50 player Sesil Karatantcheva on court 14, outdoing Taipei’s Kai-Chen Chang with heavy topspin to the corners to close out a comfortable 6-4 6-2 victory, before the towering Akgul Amanmuradova followed up with a 6-3 6-2 win over Austria’s Patricia Mayr-Achleitner.
Rodionova makes a date with King
For young Queenslander Ash Barty it was a difficult initiation to the WTA. The 15-year-old faced top-seeded qualifier Vania King, who defeated her 6-1 6-2. For Barty her summer isn’t over – she has main draw berths at Hobart and the Australian Open to come.
Barty wasn’t the only Australian to fall in the first round, Sally Peers, Isabella Holland and Monique Adamczak all found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreline.
King, meanwhile, moves into the second round of qualifying where she will take on Australia’s Anastasia Rodionova who defeated Hungary’s Reka-Luca Jani in straight sets 6-3 6-4.
Rodionova was the only Australian to survive day one of qualifying with Monique Adamczak, Sally Peers, Isabella Holland, Barty and Bobusic all defeated.
> View the women’s qualifying draw
> View the order of play for Saturday 31 December
The qualifying rounds will continue on Saturday with the second round of women’s qualifying and the first round of men’s qualifying. Gates open at 9:30 am and entry is free.