Watson shows true grit to fight back for maiden Australian Open victory
By MIKE DICKSON
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Heather Watson has a quality that is hard to define and pretty much uncoachable: that of never knowing when she is beaten and rarely being satisfied with what she has done.
That is why she is in the Australian Open second round, and why she denied feeling proud to have come through a relatively ugly opener on the first day with a victory that owed more to bloody-minded perseverance than to pretty tennis.
A 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Romania’s Alexandra Cadantu earned her a second round match that also looks winnable, against an opponent who might be described as a ‘Plastic Kazakh’. Ksenia Pervak, ranked 32 places below her, is one of several Russian players who have been lured to represent the oil-rich state which has the misfortune to be synonymous with Borat. She stands between Watson and the third round.
Pure delight: Heather Watson celebrates after beating Alexandra Cadantu in Australia
Pure joy: Watson celebrates her win in the first round
The 21-year-old left-hander, who knocked out the seeded German Mona Barthel, has known success here before. Three years ago she defeated Laura Robson in the junior final, having beaten Watson in the quarters.
Robson was in senior action this morning against American Melanie Oudin, Andy Murray took his bow against Dutchman Robin Haase and qualifier Jamie Baker tackled Czech Lukas Rosol.
The two British women have wide-ranging appeal, which is a major reason behind BT Sport adding the WTA Tour to their burgeoning broadcast rights portfolio that includes Premier League football and Premiership rugby. If Robson and Watson carry on improving at the current rate - which is not a given - then it may turn out to be a very astute acquisition.
Suffering: Watson struggled during the match but recovered after a medical time-out
Checking out: Watson receives medical treatment during the first round
By making the second round, Watson ensured there would be no echo of the same day 12 months ago, labelled ‘Black Monday’ because all five British players in action lost, leaving only Murray standing in the singles.
Nonetheless, she was not going to crow about a win that came only after both players had received medical attention during a 15-minute hiatus when the Romanian led by a break of serve at 3-2 in the second set.
Was she proud of herself? ‘Not really,’ said Watson. ‘I wasn’t there at the start, I just didn’t have any energy and I’m not sure why.
Comeback roar: Watson came from behind to win her first round game with Alexandra Cadantu
AUSSIE MISERY
Victory for Heather Watson meant that Britain had the same number of winners on day one of the Australian Open as the host nation - despite having seven fewer players in singles action.
Fading hero Lleyton Hewitt, playing his 17th Open just shy of his 32nd birthday, capped a disappointing day for the green and gold by losing 7-6, 7-5, 6-3 to eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic in the main evening match.
Five other Aussies lost, with the only winner being Australian women’s No 1 Samantha Stosur, who just about overcame her self-admitted nerves when playing in front of her home crowd.
Having bombed in the first round last year when arriving as US Open champion, she overcame Taipei’s Kai Chen Chang 7-6, 6-3, but not very convincingly.
She added: ‘During the time-out I ate two bananas and some energy gels and drank loads. I think having that sit-down, I got a little recharged and motivated.’
She did not have the best preparation for this tournament, having pulled out of last week’s WTA event in Tasmania with a sore elbow - the result of changes being made to her serve over an off-season spent between Florida and London.
That was not the reason for the slew of missed forehands that got her into trouble, and which will do so again against Pervak. She has more to offer than the relatively limited Cadantu, whose only tactic is to try to get back as many balls as she can.
Watson has felt the pressure this week because, in her career to date, she has had a succession of tough draws in the first round of the Grand Slams that take place on her favoured hard court surface.
She made the third round of Wimbledon last year, but has had to contend with the likes of Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Li Na in the hard court majors.
Fast start: Cadantu won the first set but also needed treatment from the physio and struggled thereafter
‘I definitely expected to win today and, after the draws I’ve had here and in New York, I knew it was a big opportunity. If I had lost I would have been very, very upset,’ said Watson.
Given that the women’s ranking points are generous at the Grand Slams, progress here would be very helpful in getting towards her goal this year of reaching the top 25. There was also the small matter of the phenomenal £30,500 second round guaranteed prize money at stake, the mighty Aussie dollar having combined with generous increases to make this a hugely lucrative event.
That will all help towards another ambition - buying an apartment in London.
Swinging: Watson won at the Australian Open for the first time
Watson has reassessed her game during the winter break and returned more determined than ever. ‘This season I’m changing the way I go about things. I want to be more professional with my diet, getting the right amount of sleep and doing the right things before matches.
‘I had one of those Oreo cakes in the tournament cafe three days ago. It was so good, but I’m not going to have another one.’
Watson knows she needs to keep improving as the threats will continue to come. One name to watch is that of a tall American, 17-year-old Madison Keys, who won the last 11 points of her match to beat Australian favourite Casey Dellacqua 6-4, 7-6. She looks a very good prospect.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2262047/Australian-Open-2013-Heather-Watson-second-round.html#ixzz2I2aw1s7a
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