Evans & Konta out as Norrie & Watson advance in Melbourne
Expletives and injury hastened the respective exits of Dan Evans and Johanna Konta on day two of the Australian Open as compatriots Cameron Norrie and Heather Watson stole centre-stage in Melbourne.
Norrie admitted he had been prepared for a five-set battle in his all-British clash with Evans before a late rally saw him save a set point and dispatch his friend, who receivedcode and time violations in the course of his 6-4 4-6 6-4 7-5 defeat.
And while an abdominal injury brought an abrupt end to Konta’s challenge early in the second set of her match against Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan, Watson shrugged off two weeks of enforced hotel quarantine to see off Kristyna Pliskova 7-6 (4) 7-6 (3).Norrie had felt the nerves ahead of his first tour clash with his domestic rival, who came into the game brimming with confidence after winning his first tour title at the weekend.
“I was very nervous before the match,” Norrie said. “Obviously he had done well last week and got the title, so I knew he was going to be playing well and I was ready for that.
“I think he was a little bit fatigued from coming off last week. I was ready for a five-set battle and I thought it was going to be.”
Having dropped the first set, Evans struggled to maintain his discipline early in the second when he received two warnings in quick succession, but managed to break his opponent and haul the match back level.
After nudging back in front, Norrie staged a series of great escape sin the fourth set, twice battling from a breakdown and saving a set point at 5-3 before reeling off four straight games to book his place in the second round.
“After I (won) on Sunday, I just felt pretty flat ever since really, and I didn’t practice great (on Monday),” Evans said.
Following Konta’s withdrawal and a grand slam de but defeat for Frances ca Jones, Watson is the last remaining Briton in the women’s singles, and said she drew extra strength from her unorthodox build-up to the tournament.
Watson said: “It made the victory today sweeter because we’ d been through a lot the last few weeks.
“It was really tough mentally I would say the most. PhysicallyI felt like I did a pretty good job in hard quarantine of working out pretty much everyday and trying to keep up my fitness with what I could do.”