Determined Dart flies through air!

TENNIS: Britain’s Harriet Dart reached the second round of qualifying for the Australian Open, despite the poor air quality which forced one player to quit her match.

Dart beat Bulgaria’s world No.194 Elitsa Kostova 6-4 6-1 in 75 minutes to set up a meeting with American 15th seed Nicole Gibbs in Melbourne.

Qualifying was delayed by an hour and practice temporarily suspended because of the air quality caused by ongoing bush fires, but several players reported breathing difficulties.

Slovenia’s Dalila Jakupovic retired at 6-5 5-6 against Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegel, the world No.180 being helped off the court after collapsing during a coughing fit.

“I was really scared I would collapse. That’s why I went on to the floor because I couldn’t walk any more,” she said.

Dart’s victory was a rare success for British players on day one, with Liam Broady, Jay Clarke and Naiktha Bains all suffering defeats.

TENNIS: British No.1 Dan Evans swept past Alexander Bublik to secure a place in the Adelaide International quarterfinals, while Davis Cup teammate Kyle Edmund also made progress in Auckland.

Evans, fresh from a convincing victory against Juan Londero in the first round, only needed 75 minutes to secure a 7-5 6-2 win over Bublik and book his spot in the last eight.

Edmund had to work a little harder for his victory at the ASB Classic in New Zealand, where he was taken to three sets in a rain-affected clash before overcoming Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2 4-6 6-3 to record his first win of 2020.