SYDNEY (AP) " Samantha Stosur overcame some home-crowd jitters to beat Lucie Safarova 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3 Monday in the first round of the Sydney International, and Caroline Wozniacki's Australian Open preparations took a hit when she was forced to withdraw with a wrist injury.
Stosur saved three break points to take a 3-2 lead in the third set before breaking Safarova again when the Czech player double-faulted on back-to-back points.
"It was relatively important win," the Australian said. "It was good to step up and win the match after what happened last week, and I am very happy with it."
Stosur, who won the 2011 U.S. Open, has never been past the fourth round at the Australian Open. And she has struggled at other tournaments Down Under, too. Last week at the Brisbane International, Stosur lost to Varvara Lepchenko 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the first round after leading 5-1 in the third set.
Stosur will next play Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic in the second round after Wozniacki withdrew from their match with a left wrist injury. The fourth-seeded Dane trailed 6-4, 1-1 when she walked to the net and said she couldn't continue.