Dart marches on in Australia but Jakupovic is thwarted by smoke

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

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

was delayed by an hour yesterday and practice suspended for a spell due to the air quality caused by ongoing bush fires but several players reported suffering breathing difficulties.

Slovenia’s Dalila Jakupovic was forced to retire 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 that I would collapse. That’s why I went onto the floor because I couldn’t walk any more,” Jakupovic said. “I don’t have asthma and never had breathing problems. I actually like heat. The physio came again and I thought it would be better. But the points were a bit longer and I just couldn’t breathe any more and I just fell on the floor.

“It’s not healthy for us. I was surprised, I thought we would not be playing today but we don’t have much choice.”

Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard also left the court complaining of a sore chest against China’s You Xiaodi, although she returned from the timeout to play the final set and won 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.

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