Laura Robson and Heather Watson Both Lose In First Round In Melbourne

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 13th January 2014

Laura Robson and Heather Watson Both Lose In First Round In Melbourne

epa04017735 Laura Robson of Britain plays a shot against Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium during the first round match of the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 13 January 2014. The tournament takes place in Melbourne from 13 to 26 January 2014. EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA |

Exactly a year ago the British were getting very excited about how rejuvenated their female tennis scene was under youngsters Laura Robson and Heather Watson. After just a few hours of this year’s Australian Open, there might be some reassessment after both players met with an early demise.

Last year both reached the third round at Melbourne Park but the manner of duo’s exits were very different. Robson, so troubled by left wrist issues she had to withdraw from the year opening Auckland tournament and then quit after a set last week in Hobart, had probably her most painful experience ever at a Grand Slam. The 19 year-old was the earliest loser in the Melbourne main draws, lasting just 50 minutes against 6-3, 6-0 against 18th seed Kirsten Flipkens of Belguim.

Watson, troubled by mononucleosis or glandular fever for most of last year, offered far more resistance after winning through three rounds of qualifying. She battled for over two and half hours in the warm Melbourne conditions before finally going down 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to the vastly more experienced 31st seed Daniela Hantuchova.

Consequently Watson can view her defeat with a different perspective to Robson who this time last year was being tipped for great things by no lesser judges than Billie Jean King and Chris Evert but now appears an extremely concerned young woman.

It would appear the intense off-season training schedule, adopted under the guidance of new coaches Nick Saviano and Jesse Witten, has backfired and her lack of match practice was hugely apparent throughout her far too brief showing with 32 unforced errors.

“I’d prefer not to talk about my wrist because then it turns into a massive excuse,” said Robson, who last year played under two coaches, Croatian Zeljko Krajan (now his national Davis Cup captain and coach to Marcos Baghdatis) and Britain’s Miles Maclagan (newly installed in Samantha Stosur’s team) and could not strike a lasting accord with either of them.

“Practice is a lot different to playing a proper match in Slams. So I would have loved to have had some more points beforehand, but that’s what happens sometimes. Really she just played better than me. I didn’t really have any expectations going in because I didn’t know what it was going to be like out there.

“It’s a tough one today, but everyone has those kind of days, and you have to just come back from them stronger.”

Robson has won just six matches since reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon, and she will lose further ranking points after failing to match last year’s run to the third round in Australia. Her ranking has dwindled down steadily since after Wimbledon when she reached a career high 27 and she went into the tournament placed world no. 48. Now she faces falling back out of the top 50.

“Last year over the grass season and the clay season, where I was playing pretty well, I was completely healthy,” she lamented. “So I’d love to get back to that, you know, and that’s what I’m going to work towards.”

“Definitely these matches motivate you to do better and be as fit as possible, and that’s what I’ll do in the next couple of weeks. Whether that’s going to be in Florida or London, I’m not sure yet.”

Watson’s mood was far more upbeat. “I thought it was very close throughout and I had plenty of chances,” said the Channel Islander. “I feel like it’s an opportunity lost, I thought it was a good draw for me. On the other hand if you had said to me last year that I would have had ten matches already this season I would have taken it.”

Topics: 10sballs.com, Australian Open, Daniela Hantuchova, Heather Watson, Kirsten Flipkens, Laura Robson, Melbourne, Nick Saviano, Samantha Stosur, Tennis, Tennis News

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