Robson closes in on British No.1 spot

 

Originally published on: 21/03/13 00:00

Robson, who revealed last month she had been struggling to shake off a chest infection, had not won a match since her surprise win over Petra Kvitova in the Australian Open second round.

Following a run of three successive opening-round defeats in Doha, Dubai and Indian Wells, the world No.43 got back to winning ways with victory over Italy’s Camila Giorgi.

As a thunderstorm approached Crandon Park, Robson needed five match points before finally clinching a 6-2 4-6 6-3 victory, just moments before the rain set in.

“When you can hear the thunder and these huge raindrops are starting to fall you know you don’t have long to go,” Robson said. “So I was trying to go for more on my second serve and not taking as long in between points. I was very lucky to finish when I did because 30 seconds later it started pouring.”

“I was really pleased because I’ve been getting quite nervous in my matches. Today I managed to deal with that better than I have done and grind out a win.”

Robson will play No.32 seed Alize Cornet in the second round, and victory would see her overtake her friend and rival Heather Watson in the WTA rankings to become the top-ranked British player.

Watson, meanwhile, has confirmed she will continue with her schedule, having initially announced she would be taking a break following her first-round defeat to Ayumi Morita.

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