Australian Open: Jodie Burrage takes opening set but goes on to lose her opening tie against Tamara Korpatsch | Tennis News

January 14, 2024 admin

Jodie Burrage was unable to build on a good start as her Australian Open debut
ended with a first-round loss to German Tamara Korpatsch.

Burrage earned her spot in the main draw for the first time with a strong year in 2023 and she played with confidence and purpose to take the opening set as the year’s first grand slam made its maiden Sunday start.

But, as Korpatsch steadied, Burrage’s unforced error count began to rise and it was the German who came through 2-6 6-3 6-0.

The pair had met twice in the closing months of last season, with Korpatsch winning both, but Burrage knew she had the power advantage and she used it well in the first set.

The 24-year-old served strongly and seized on her opponent’s weaker delivery to break twice.

She was in the ascendancy again to start the second set but Korpatsch hung on and the momentum began to swing as the German, who had looked uncomfortable and unsettled, asked Burrage more questions.

The British No 2 had chances to get back on serve at the end of the second but could not take them and the decider quickly ran away from her in a slew of errors.

Korpatsch will next take on Czech ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova who appeared to be struggling in her first-round clash with Japan’s Mai Hontama, but the 2021 French Open champion bounced back from a sluggish start to find her stride and win 2-6 6-4 6-3.

“It was a really, really difficult match. I was struggling, but I believed I could come back and level up my game,” Krejcikova said

Murray returns to Melbourne Park on Monday

Andy Murray will make his 16th appearance in the main draw when he faces 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round from around 3.30am GMT.

It was five years ago at the 2019 Australian Open when three-time Grand Slam champion Murray contemplated retirement and a highlights montage shown after his round-one exit appeared to signal the end of his career.

Surgery to resurface his hip followed and while it has enabled the five-time Australian Open runner-up to continue playing well into his thirties, the Scot cut a frustrated figure at the end of 2023.

However, he secured a morale-boosting first win of the season against Dominic Thiem at the Kooyong Classic.

While only in an exhibition event, the 6-4 6-2 victory was very welcome for Murray, who lost to Grigor Dimitrov in the first round of the Brisbane International last week before falling to defeat against Marin Cilic at Kooyong on Wednesday.

Murray revealed that he has learned to complete the Rubik’s Cube since his arrival Down Under.

“I learned to complete it,” he smiled. “My daughter got one for Christmas and I thought, ‘oh well, I should try and learn how to do it, so I can teach her’. So, yeah, I did that when I got over here.”

Last hurrah for Murray?

Andy Murray conjured up two of his more memorable wins in Australia last year, seeing off Matteo Berrettini in five sets and then somehow fighting back to defeat Thanasi Kokkinakis at 4am.

The Scot played at his best level since hip surgery in 2023 yet it was another season of frustration and near misses rather than the sort of achievements he craves. Murray cut a particularly unhappy figure at the end of the year and is openly talking about how long he has left.

If this is the 36-year-old’s last appearance at Melbourne Park, hopefully it will be one to remember for the right reasons.

Five other British players will contest the main draw including Emma Raducanu, Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter, Dan Evans and Jack Draper.

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