Samantha Stosur of Australia makes a forehand return to Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday. AP
MELBOURNE, Australia—Sam Stosur fought back from 4-1 down in the second set to beat Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4 Monday in the first round of the Australian Open.
Stosur is trying to improve on a mediocre record at her home Grand Slam—she has never advanced past the fourth round at Melbourne Park, and was eliminated in the second round in 2012 and the first round last year.
The 2011 United States Open champion has spoken of the pressure of local expectations, and why she’s never fared well in many other tournaments in Australia, including the recent Hopman Cup where she lost all three matches in the round-robin tournament.