Johanna Konta survived a deciding tie-break to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic and become the third British player to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Konta lost to Tomljanovic in Brisbane earlier this month but produced a fine performance to come through 7-6 (7/4) 2-6 7-6 (10/7).
There was little to separate the pair throughout a tight and big-hitting contest but Konta was rewarded for her aggression in the first-to-10-points tie-break, becoming the second British player after Katie Boulter to win using the new scoring format.
Konta found herself 3-1 down in the opening set without having done too much wrong but fought back to win three games in a row and then played a good tie-break.
Sealed with a brilliant forehand 🇬🇧@JohannaKonta wins a classic over Tomljanović 7-6(4) 2-6 7-6(7).#AusOpen | @Channel9 pic.twitter.com/UrFBSUcCcj
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 15, 2019
The 27-year-old slipped from nine to 39 in the rankings in a difficult 2018 after experiencing burn-out over the final months of the previous season, in which she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The signs have been tentatively encouraging since Konta linked up with new coach Dimitri Zavialoff, a Frenchman who guided Stan Wawrinka for much of his career.
She claimed a first top-10 win in 18 months over Sloane Stephens in Brisbane before losing to Tomljanovic, and a couple of loose shots, including a wild forehand volley from on top of the net, contributed to a change in momentum that saw the Australian take the second set.
A couple of unwise drop shots put Konta on the back foot in the deciding tie-break but she stayed in touch with Tomljanovic and was rock solid mentally in winning the final three points, finishing off the victory with a forehand powered into the corner.
